- By Pranay Kumar Seth (Batch-2023)
Central Vista is a grand Rs. 20,000 Crore ($2.7 Billion) worth redevelopment project to revamp the area in central Delhi that houses major government buildings. The re-construction plan includes a new state-of-the-art parliament house, common secretariat to house various ministries, Prime Minister and Vice President residence, facelift of 1.8 km long iconic Rajpath to name a few. The new parliament building will be much larger than the current one with the capacity of holding 1400 MPs.
Looking back at the history of these iconic structures housed in Delhi for almost a century now, it is evident that the Parliament house designed by Edwin Lutyen in 1927 and the iconic North & South block designed by Mr. Baker in 1910 are in an abysmal condition and require immediate attention. These buildings have already been marked as a safety hazard long back and still keep on functioning staring at the threat of an accident. The old Parliament building often regarded as the ‘Temple of Democracy’ is cramped for space and is a major hurdle in parliamentary operations. At times, MPs sit cheek by jowl in house chambers and are forced to meet visitors in canteens or residences. The new structure would cater to the need of individual MP offices with the number of MPs expected to increase by 2026.
The project has however faced intense public scrutiny and opposition resistance. It is often asked that at a time when the public is trying tooth n nail to receive basic medical facilities, what is the need for such a lavish project to start? In one of the darkest times of the century, when a common man isn’t able to get his hands on basic medical, food, and shelter facilities, is it ethically and economically viable for the government to get itself engaged in such a display of grandeur? More so, the lack of public consultation has added fuel to the fire. Allegations of the contract being approved in a haste to architect Mr. Bimal Patel, known to be the Prime Minister’s aide have raised a few eyebrows as well. Environmentalists have had their share of legitimate concerns regarding the continuous degradation of the national capital’s air quality and infringement of open wide spaces in name of redevelopment.
In December 2020, Hon’ble Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for the numerous petitions demanding a halt on the project. It passed a 2:1 verdict in the favor of the center, stating that the center was well within its right to pass an order for redevelopment on people’s behalf given that it’s a democratic representative of the people and at the same time accountable to certain agencies to safeguard democracy. Supreme Court directed that all development should be done with the approval of the Heritage Committee and Smog Towers must be installed at sites of construction keeping health as the top priority. Also, the court has rightly pointed out that there is no denying that India has just one planned city Chandigarh, and lacks infrastructural development. With the Amravati project being shelved by the new government and slapping of corruption charges on previous government officials in Andhra Pradesh, it is inevitable that every time a project like this is under scrutiny with a perception that this is yet another means of politicians filling their pockets.
On the contrary, the manufacturing and construction industry is the one that has the potential to drive India out of the dire economic state as well. A lot of industries namely Cement, equipment & machinery, labor, steel, iron, etc. are driven by a construction project and that keeps the ball rolling. All this would have sounded good if the people had access to basic amenities such as Medical, Food, Shelter, etc. What is fascinating, is the haste with which the government is carrying out the project. It plans to complete the construction by 2022 amidst a raging pandemic possible in order to gather brownie points for the 2024 elections.
However, the project is up on the cards for the next couple of years and will go ahead as per the plan. There have been a few delays due to COVID situations and a very small portion of the Rs.20,000 Crore tender has been floated yet. The effects of the project and its benefits are awaited in upcoming times. Having said that, it is important for such grand projects to be approved post public consultation, house debates, and in a sensitive manner keeping the current times in mind.
(The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the LitSoc team.)