Central Vista Avenue will be ready to host Republic Day parade: Puri

The redevelopment work of the Central Vista Avenue, stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate here, will be completed within two-and-a-half months, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the project will be ready in time to host the Republic Day parade in 2022.

Puri asserted that the Winter session of Parliament next year will take place in the new Parliament building.

He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of two new multi-storey swanky office complexes at Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Africa Avenue for over 7,000 employees of the Defence Ministry and the armed forces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated these two new buildings earlier in the day.

"I would like to give you (PM) assurance that the redevelopment work of Central Vista Avenue will be completed in two-and-a-half months, where the Republic Day parade will be held (next year)," Puri said.

Talking about the two new office complexes for the employees of the Defence Ministry, the minister said the construction work of these buildings has been completed in just 12 months.

The project has generated over 6.4 lakh person days' of employment.

He said that light gauge steel framing (LGSF) technology has been used in constructing these two new office buildings.

"Under LGSF technology, there should be a minimum 24 months of time period for such buildings, but it has been reduced to 12 months," he said, adding that 8,782 metric tonnes of steel and 7,920 metric tonnes of cement have been used in the construction work.

The redevelopment project of the Central Vista -- the nation's power corridor -- envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath, from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, a new prime minister's residence and PMO, and a new Vice President's Enclave.