NEW DELHI: The Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) and residence and the Vice President’s House will have to be shifted to make space for the proposed Central Vista redevelopment plan.
The plan also envisages a new triangular structure for the new Parliament, which will come up beside the existing one.
While these are part of the new plan proposed by the HCP Design Planning and Management, headed by architect Dr Bimal Patel, it has been assured that no heritage building, including the existing Parliament, will be demolished during redevelopment.
According to the plan, the PM’s residence will move from 7, Lok Kalyan Marg to a plot closer to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The PMO, too, will move from the Central Secretariat to a place closer to the proposed new residence of the PM.
The main purpose is to reduce the distance between the PMO and PM’s residence and also make for efficient VVIP security arrangement besides avoiding traffic bottlenecks.
Similarly, the Vice-President’s residence, which is about 1.7 km from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, will move to a plot on the other side of the presidential palace. Patel said that under the new plan, all disruptive travel between home and office would be minimised.
Similarly, the new Parliament will have a triangular shape and will be constructed next to the existing Parliament at the present reception office and car parking-security office site.
The new building will have a Lok Sabha hall, a Rajya Sabha hall and a lounge around an open-to-sky courtyard.
Moreover, the sitting arrangement in the Lok Sabha will be planned in a way so as to accommodate up to 900 lawmakers.
The Lower House will have two-people benches of bigger size on which three members can be comfortably seated.
Moreover, all Union ministries and offices will be moved to the Central Vista –which will be a group of 10 identical buildings proposed to come up between India Gate and the present Rail Bhavan and Vayu Bhavan.
The iconic North Block and South Block will be turned into museums and the National Museum will be moved into these buildings.