Land use change for Central Vista Project gets nod from Centre
NEW DELHI: The central government has approved the land use change as required for the Central Vista development project on the recommendations of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), paving the way for construction of a new Parliament building among others. Estimated cost of the Centre’s prestigious project is nearly Rs 20,000 crore. This decision will ensure that green areas and public-semi-public spaces are adequately compensated or enhanced in Lutyens’ Delhi.
At present, the Central Vista houses Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate, National Archives among others. All these iconic buildings were constructed before 1931, the year in which the new capital was inaugurated. Other office buildings were built subsequently to address the office requirements of central ministries and departments in an unplanned manner.
Under the new plan, a new Parliament House is planned that will address not only the space requirement but also result into an iconic structure which stands as a symbol of democracy. The project also involves the creation of new residences for the Prime Minister and the Vice-President near the South and North Blocks and the demolition of the existing buildings along the two sides of Rajpath, to make way for a concentration of about 10 government building complexes.
As the offices of the Central Government are spread over different locations, it affects inter-departmental coordination, and unnecessary travel leading to congestion and pollution. Further, most of the existing buildings have outlived their structural lives. The Hutments, which occupy huge area in the Central Vista, came up as temporary structures during the Second World War.
A common Central Secretariat will create modern work spaces with latest technology for better productivity and efficient utilisation of human resources. As the 3-km-long Rajpath -- from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate — and surrounding areas symbolise the magnificence of the national capital and is a tourist place of national importance, upgrading its facilities and rejuvenating the green spaces is necessary.
“In view of the above, we have taken up the Central Vista Development/ Redevelopment Project,” the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said in a notification.