Last Updated: 7 February 2023
Central Vista Redevelopment Project refers to the ongoing redevelopment to revamp Central Vista, India’s Central Administrative Area.
The Project was launched in 2019, it is located in Lutyens’ Delhi, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India.
All the buildings that are going to be built in the Central Vista Redevelopment Project will not cross the height of India Gate i.e., 42 m.
Read the following facts about this Project and boost your Knowledge.
Page Contents
Fascinating Facts Of Central Vista
- The Central Vista was first designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker during British colonial rule and was retained by the Government of India after independence.
- The Central Vista was first designed by the two architects when the capital of the British Raj was moved from Calcutta to Delhi.
- The Parliament building alone took six years to construct and the foundation stone was laid on 12 February 1921.
- The Parliament building was inaugurated by then-Viceroy Lord Irwin on 18 January 1927.
- After Independence in 1947, the Parliament building became the seat of the Government of the new Republic of India.
- The Parliament campus was declared a “Heritage Precinct” in the 1962 Master plan of Delhi.
Facts Of Central Vista Redevelopment Project
- The project aims to renovate a 3 km (1.9 miles) long Rajpath between Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate.
- The North and South Blocks will be converted into publicly accessible museums by creating a new common Central Secretariat to house all ministries.
- A New Parliament building will be built near the present one with increased seating capacity for future expansion in 2026.
- New Residence and Office will be built for the Prime Minister and the Vice-President near the North Block and South Block.
- Some of the older structures will also be converted into Museums.
- The cost of the Central Vista Redevelopment project has been estimated to be around ₹13,450 crores (US$1.7 billion).
- The Central Vista Project will include Common Central Secretariat and the Special Protection Group (SPG) building.
- Till 2023, Contracts for only two projects worth ₹1,339 crores have been awarded i.e., the New Parliament Building (₹862 crores) and the rejuvenation of Central Vista Avenue (₹477 crores).
- The project began with the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the New Parliament Building on 10 December 2020.
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is the Proposer of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.
- The project aims for completion in 2024 before the general elections.
- This plan did not include the proposed Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as there were issues of pending land-use change and litigation.
- The construction of the new Parliament building was temporarily put on hold by the Supreme Court of India but was released again within a few days with some “Riders”.
- The Council of Architecture set criteria that no building should be taller than the India Gate.
- The regulatory master plan is supposed to be done by an elected body like the NDMC, MCD, or DDA, but was done by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
- The Project Proponent or Client had to seek conceptual approval from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC).
- Project assessment studies were done by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
- There were 6 bidders who presented their proposals to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD):
1) ARCOP Associates Pvt. Limited
2) INI Design Studio Pvt. Limited
3) Sikka Associates Architects
4) HS Contractor Consultancy Pvt. Limited
5) CP Kukreja and Associates Pvt. Limited
6) HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt. Limited
- The new Parliament building is described as the pivot of the Central Vista project design
- It is said that currently, the Government of India pays 1000-2000 Crores Rent per year because of the poor conditions of the buildings
- Currently, there are 543 MPs in Lok Sabha and 245 MPs in Rajya Sabha, All the MPs will have separate offices in the new building
- The total capacity of the new buildings for MPs will be Lok Sabha MPs: 800 and Rajya Sabha MPs: 100
- The Constitution Hall will showcase the original copy of the Constitution.
- The new offices will be equipped with the latest digital interferences as a step towards creating Paperless Offices.
- 194 trees will be cut down in the construction of the new Parliament Building and 250 new trees will be planted to make up for the loss of trees during the construction.
Related: 100+ Indian Constitution GK Questions And Answers
Plan For Redevelopment
1New Structures Vs Structures To Be Demolished
| No. | New Structures | No. | Structures To Be Demolished |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Parliament Building | 1 | Vice President’s Residence |
| 2 | Central Vista Avenue (Rajpath) | 2 | Vigyan Bhavan |
| 3 | Common Central Secretariat | 3 | Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan |
| 4 | Central Conference Centre | 4 | Krishi Bhavan |
| 5 | New Residence for Prime Minister | 5 | National Museum |
| 6 | New Office for Prime Minister | 6 | Nirman Bhavan |
| 7 | New facilities for IGNCA | 7 | Raksha Bhavan |
| 8 | New Residence for Vice President | 8 | Shastri Bhawan |
| 9 | New Office for Vice President | 9 | Udyog Bhavan |
| 10 | Annex building of National Archives | ||
| 11 | Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts |
2Structures To Be Repurposed Vs Structures To Be Retain
| No. | Structures To Be Repurposed | No. | Structures To Be Retain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Parliament | 1 | Rashtrapati Bhavan |
| 2 | North and South Block | 2 | India Gate |
| 3 | Presidential Gardens | 3 | National War Memorial |
3New Parliament Building
1. TATA projects won the bid to construct the building at a cost of ₹861.90 crores in September 2020 and began construction in January 2021.
2. The Parliament building will be spread over an area of about 20,866 meters and will have a built-up area of 64,500 m2 (694,270 sq ft).
3. The new Parliament building complex will be triangular in shape that will be built beside the existing structure as the first building under the project.
4. Each floor of the Parliament building will have an area of 16,125 m2 (173,570 sq ft).
5. The new Rajya Sabha hall will have a capacity of 384 seats while the new Lok Sabha hall will have 888 seats, with an additional capacity of up to 1,272 seats for hosting joint sessions.
6. Digital interface systems will be provided in every seat that will consume significantly less power and serve for the following 150 years.
4Central Vista Avenue
1. In January 2021, Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Private Limited was awarded the tender for the Redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue.
2. The 3 km long Central Vista Avenue has been proposed for bridges over canals, pedestrian underpasses, wide footpaths, new parking lots, more green areas, benches as well as trees.
3. Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Private Limited is required to complete the project within 300 days and maintain it for five years post-completion.
5Common Central Secretariat
1. The existing Secretariat houses 22 ministries with 41,000 employees while the rest are spread across the city of New Delhi, the new facility will house all the 51 ministries at the Secretariat.
2. The height of all the buildings will be less than the height of India Gate (42 meters) and they will have 7 floors in it.
3. A set of ten doughnut-shaped buildings on four plots as Secretariat will be built on either side of the Rajpath.
4. Exteriors of all buildings will be similar to surrounding Lutyens buildings and they will be connected to each other.
5. It will also connect the Delhi Metro network by electric people-movers in underground ways and overground buses.
6Central Conference Center
It is sad that the old Vigyan Bhavan will be demolished and a new Central Conference will be built beside the National Archives.
7Prime Minister’s and Vice President’s New Office & Residence
1. The Prime Minister’s new office and residence will be built on a 15 acres plot of the South block.
2. 10 buildings with 4 floors with a maximum height of 12 meters will be built in the Prime Minister’s residence. It will also have a building for keeping Special Protection Group.
3. The residence of the Vice-President will be built on the North Block.
4. Bringing them both within Central Vista will cut down on travel time and decrease traffic restrictions.
8Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts
1. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is currently home on Man Singh Road, It will be relocated to a 15-acre plot near Jamnagar House.
2. Its role as a cultural space will be expanded and the new building will retain IGNCA’s existing role as a center for research, publication, events, and training while allowing additional facilities to be added.
Central Vista Redevelopment Project At A Glance
- September 2019: The master plan for the Redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue is conceived by the Government of India.
- September 2020: Tata Projects Limited won the construction work of the New Parliament Building for ₹862 crores by the CPWD.
- October 2020: Ahmedabad-based HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt Ltd., won the architectural consultancy work.
- December 2020: Foundation stone of the New Parliament Building was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 December 2020.
- January 2021: Supreme Court of India approves the Central Vista Project on 5 January. Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd. won the construction work of Rajpath Redevelopment for ₹477 crores from CPWD.
- May 2021: The High Court of Delhi dismissed the plea on 31 May, which sought direction to suspend the construction activities. The court order also said that Central Vista Avenue is a vital and essential national project.
- June 2021: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs clears the myth about the project value of Central Vista Avenue. Only two construction projects worth ₹1,339 crores awarded till now.
- 16 Sep 2021: Inauguration of the new Defense Offices Complex.
- 26 Sep 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent almost an hour at the site of the proposed Central Vista project and carried out a first-hand inspection of the construction status of the new Parliament Building.
- 23 Jun 2022: Vanijya Bhawan is inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, it is the new headquarters of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- 11 Jul 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a bronze cast of India’s National Emblem on top of the new parliament building.
- 8 September 2022: Prime Minister inaugurated the revamped Central Vista Avenue and renamed it Kartavya Path, from Rajpath. This was done as a part of the recent Anti-Colonial drive in the country. The Prime Minister also unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose installed at the India Gate hexagon, under the Grand Canopy.
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