A new house for Prime Minister by '22; Central Vista project gets green nod

The project to be completed by December 2026

The government’s ambitious, Rs 13,450 crore Central Vista project, which will change the face of the country’s power centre, received overall clearance from the environment ministry’s expert appraisal committee (EAC) on Monday.
 
The EAC report, made public on Monday, also specified the deadlines for the completion of each of the buildings that are part of the Central Vista project.
 
According to the plan, the residences of both the prime minister and vice president are scheduled to be completed by December 2022 and May 22, respectively. The project is slated to be completed by 2026, with the Central Conference Hall being the final one to be readied by the end of that year.
 
The project has been declared an essential service so that work can continue on it despite Delhi being under lockdown.
 
In December 2020, the EAC had conditionally approved new terms of reference for the development or redevelopment of the common central secretariat buildings, a Central Conference Centre, the prime minister’s residence, vice president’s enclave and a building for the Special Protection Group (SPG). The SPG building has a deadline of December 22, same as the prime minister’s residence.
 
The plan, being handled by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, involves having a new Parliament building in place by India’s 75th Independence Day in 2022. The entire project, which includes 11 administrative buildings that will house key government ministries, is slated to be complete by 2026.
 
Tata Projects Limited was tasked with the construction of the new Parliament complex on September 29, 2020.
 
According to the plan, a common central secretariat will consolidate key ministries of the Government of India with the aim to improve productivity and efficiency of administration. The Central Conference Centre will cater to their conf­erencing needs. These will also be connected by a people mover to the Delhi Metro.
 
Modern and secure residential facilities for the vice president and the prime mini­ster will be equipped with all necessary sp­aces and infrastructure, including the SPG.
 
The EAC report stated: “The EAC recommended granting environmental clearance to the project subject to the following specific conditions and other Standard EC Conditions as specified by the Ministry vide OM dated 4th January, 2019 for the said project/activity, while considering for accord of environmental clearance.”
 
The project has faced severe criticism from opposition parties who have pointed out that instead of splurging on this dream project of PM Narendra Modi, the government should use the money to fight the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that has left India’s health infrastructure str­etched and desperately in need of support.
 
Opposition parties have long slammed the plan to reconstruct one of the most historic parts of Delhi. On social media, too, many have hit out at this expenditure in the middle of a Covid emergency that has overwhelmed hospitals and caused a crisis of resources like oxygen, vaccines, medicines and beds.
 
Yesterday, in a joint letter to the central government, opposition party leaders inc­luding Sonia Gandhi, Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee (soon to be sworn in as West Bengal’s third-time chief minister), Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar, called upon the government to launch a free vaccination drive.