SC refuses to Stay Central Vista Project
The Supreme Court has refused to stay the Central Vista redevelopment project, estimated to cost 20,000 crores.
The Central Vista area in Delhi is the area where the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, the India Gate, and other historic monuments are located. The Central Vista Project aims to build a new Parliament building, 10 new buildings for government offices, and new residences for the Prime Minister and Vice-President. The existing Parliament building will be converted into a library and they will build a new Parliament. The entire project will cost more than Rs 20,000 crore. The Central Vista project will be fully completed by March 2024.
On 20th March the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) gave the Central Government permission to land changes in the project. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court to put the project on hold. The petition said that, for the project many historical buildings will be demolished, trees will be cut and the beauty, culture, and history of the place will be lost. The petition also said that currently, India is struggling to control the spread of COVID-19. We are facing a shortage of gloves, masks, hazmat suits, medicines, testing kits, etc. The quality of hospitals and quarantine facilities are pathetic. In such a situation spending thousands of crores on the construction of the parliament building is just wrong.
Lawyer Tushar Mehta who is representing the government said, "The project focuses on constructing a new Parliament. Why is there a problem?"CJI Sharad Bobde said that “During COVID-19, nobody is going to do anything. There is no urgency. The project will not be put on hold”
