NEW DELHI: A day after the inauguration of the Central Vista Project, undeterred by the sticky heat, hundreds thronged the revamped stretch on Friday and clicked photographs. With people visiting Kartavya Path, the hustle and bustle around India Gate is back. Young and old, locals and foreigners were seen enjoying the redeveloped India Gate complex, as they took selfies with the 65 metric tonne statue housed in the historic canopy facing the war memorial arch.
The redeveloped Central Vista avenue is a section of the primary central vista project, extending from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate. The reconstruction includes a 28-ft-tall statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, various public amenities, pathways and green passages along with two underpasses that have been constructed to assist the crowd movement around Man Singh Road.
While people seemed to be enjoying the view of, workers and officials involved in the reconstruction took pride in it. “I’m proud of being a part of this celebration. My contribution today and during the construction of this project feels fulfilling and I rejoice every bit of it,” said a senior official. Many workers mostly from rural pockets of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal gathered for the event and found time to discuss personal problems, families and perennial monetary issues.
As part of the inaugural ceremony, folk artists from different parts of the country performed on the
Kartavya Path. Kerala’s Panch Vadaym, Odisha’s Sambhalpuri, Maharastra’s Dhol tasha, Chatisgarh’s Panthi and Karagam and dummy horse from Rajasthan were some of the cultural events lined up for the fourth day of the event. While the Covid-19 lockdowns had severely impacted the vendors’ income, people thronging to Kartavya Path on the first day of its opening on Friday has rekindled hope of earning steady income for the shutterbugs.
Amidst tight security, vendors seemed happy about getting back in the business. “It feels great to be back and see large crowd flocking around the cart after a long time. I had to restock my material twice since the morning,” said Rajnesh Kumar, an ice cream vendor.