After Independence, Central Vista underwent many unplanned and haphazard construction of many central government buildings, etc., which led to chaos and disorder. Though much has been talked about the revamp of the Central Vista for decades, it was in 2019 that the decision of redevelopment project was taken and commissioned.
On September 8, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled to the nation the revamped version of an iconic 3-km avenue ‘Rajpath’, which has been renamed as ‘Kartavya Path’ as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. He also unveiled the 28-feet statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the grand canopy which was once adorned with the statue of King George V.
Historical Background
In 1911, the British Monarch, King George V, had announced that the capital of India would be moved from then Calcutta to Delhi. Accordingly, the planners picked Raisina Hill in the south of Shajahanbad. The architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed the new capital. The stretch came to be known as Kingsway (Rajpath), a reference either to King George V or a generic reference that could apply to all monarchs. The focal point was the Viceroy’s House (now the Rashtrapati Bhavan) and the North and South Blocks. At the other end of the Rajpath was National War Memorial (India Gate). The Central Vista also consisted of a Council House (now Parliament of India) and an Imperial Records building (now National Archives of India).
In the 1950s, the stretch between Vijay Chowk and the India Gate was renamed as Rajpath (the Hindi translation of Kingsway) as the then Indian government wanted to break some of the colonial shackles associated with the public space.
Revamp of the Central Vista/Redevelopment
After the revamp which is ongoing, Rajpath has been named as Kartavya Path (Path of Duty), which symbolises a shift from the erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to one that signifies public ownership and empowerment. The new Kartavya Path is a broader, greener, and cleaner avenue with well-lit and well-paved streets and red granite walkways. There would be more space for public events, including the Republic Day parade. The Kartavya Path would bring both a sense of ownership as well as responsibility for the citizens of India. Netaji Bose’s statue at India Gate is a tribute to one of our greatest and iconic freedom fighters.
Cost and Time of the Project
The Central Vista development/redevelopment plan is a generational infrastructure investment project, which involves multiple projects and is spread over six years at a grossly estimated cost of about Rs 20,000 crores. The new project includes a new Parliament building, chambers for members of parliament, the Central Vista Avenue, 10 buildings of the common central secretariat, central conference centre, additional buildings for national archives, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) building, facilities for security officials, and official residences for vice president and prime minister, executive enclave with prime minister’s office, cabinet secretariat, National Security Council Secretariat, relocation of National Museum in North and South Block, etc. This also includes relocation and transfer of hutments in around 90 acres to newly built locations. All these projects have been planned in a phased and sequential manner till 2026.
Why the Need for New Parliament Building
The present Parliament House which was built in 1927 is a colonial-era building which was designed as the ‘Council House’ which was converted to serve as the Parliament House in 1947. The present building was never designed to accommodate the two Houses of Parliament—the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha—a bicameral legislature for a full-fledged democracy.
In accordance with the various Constitutional Amendment Acts, the present strength of the Lok Sabha has remained frozen at 552 since 1976. This means an MP represents on an average 25 lakh citizens. This number is very high in comparison to what it was at the time of independence when it was approximately 5 lakhs. The number would continue to rise with the growing population of India. Consequently, it was urgently felt to increase representation in Indian Parliament. So, if the strength of Parliament is increased, it would be necessary to ensure that Parliament House has facilities for a larger Parliament to function as the present Lok Sabha and Central Hall are full to their capacity (552 and 436 persons, respectively) and do not have any provision for any further expansion. However, at least 200 ad hoc/temporary seats are added in the aisles during joint sessions which is undignified and unsafe. Moreover, the electrical, mechanical, air-conditioning, lighting, audio-visual, acoustics, public address system, and security infrastructure of the building are absolutely out of date and need modernisation. Also, the 93-year-old building lacks proper documentation and drawings to establish its structural strength. Fire safety is another major concern as the building is not up to modern fire norms. In case of an emergency, the arrangements for evacuation are extremely inadequate and unsafe.
In view of the above, it was concluded that if Parliament House’s capacity was to be expanded, its infrastructure modernised, and its earthquake safety assured, it would be necessary to build a new, purpose-designed Parliament building.
Salient Features of the New Project
Heritage conservation Historical landmarks such as the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Blocks, Parliament House, and National Archives have been conserved. The newer additions will only endeavour to enhance the overall precinct, without affecting the heritage of the existing buildings. The National Museum would be relocated to a prime location.
All the ministries at one location The new central secretariat would bring together all the ministries of the central government at one location for greater administrative productivity and efficiency. To complement the city’s high density, structures would be built vertically to accommodate more offices and people in less space.
Green infrastructure The redeveloped Kartavya Path is expected to reduce the overall energy expenditure of government buildings with better and improved technology and equipment in the new buildings. Besides, housing different administrative units in close proximity will reduce travel and fuel-related pollution under which Delhi is already reeling.
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