Unpacking Central Vista Redevelopment Project

Cities, like living beings, evolve to respond to the changing ecosystems. Subsequent to the seven transformations from Quila Rai Pithora, Mehrauli, Siri, Tughlakabad, Firozabad, Shergarh, and Shahjahanabad, Lutyens’ Delhi is in the midst of its next transformation in the form of The Central Vista Redevelopment. With the plans for new constructions for administrative convenience (Vanijya Bhavan) or emotional representation (National War Memorial) each with its own justification, this situation presents complex choices to be made between ‘functionality’ or ‘preserving heritage’.

CURRENT POSITION

• Central Vista is the heart of India’s power with offices of the State and Public space for citizens. It is the 3.2 km stretch from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate. 

• It was designed by Lutyens’ and Baker, for the then Delhi with a population of less than a million. The India Gate hexagon had a two-way traffic movement with vehicular access through the India Gate.

• The initial idea of The Central Vista was to house spaces for all administrative functions of the government in one place. 

Existing Situation of The Central Vista in Delhi

• Government buildings like the Parliament, Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block, Vice President's house, Central Secretariat, National Museum, National Archives, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts(IGNCA), Udyog Bhawan, Bikaner house, Hyderabad house, Nirmaan Bhavan, Jawahar Bhavan are located in Central Vista.

• Rajpath, the stretch from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to Princess Park near India gate - is lined with trees and landscaping on both sides. This acts as a Public Space currently which is used for the Republic day parade, protests, marches, celebrations and is also a major tourist destination.

Comparison in Central Vista Plans

Top: Plan of Central Vista - When initially designed by Lutyens

Middle: Plan of Central Vista - Existing

Bottom: Plan of Central Vista - As proposed by HCP

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An Assessment For TRANSFORMATION

• The project is envisioned to be a mix of new construction and revamping of the old.

• On  September 2, 2019, the Central Public Works Department, Government of India (CPWD) set in motion a massive project by issuing a Request for Proposal(RFP), inviting bids for an upgrade in the administrative center of India.

• About 29 firms participated in the process and 7 were shortlisted. From these, an Ahmedabad based firm, HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the project in October 2019.

• HCP is headed by Dr. Bimal Patel who has been associated with big scale projects like the Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Ahmedabad, the Central Vista Redevelopment in Gandhinagar, the Mumbai Port Complex, the Kashi Vishwanath Redevelopment Banaras among others.

• The Timeline of the Central Vista Redevelopment project is:

  1. Revamping  of Landscape - End of 2020

  2. Completion of the new Parliament house - July 2022

  3. Completion of the new Central Secretariat - March 2024.

• The existing structures are in a dilapidated condition and are low on functionality 

• The Redevelopment project will be able to cater to the current and future needs of the Government’s administrative offices.

• Over time, according to the needs, the buildings have grown with ad hoc additions which are at odds with the architecture of these heritage structures .

• Accommodations for offices across the city demands high rent and maintenance with increased security and communication efforts.

• In the absence of the technical drawings of existing structures, it is difficult to state if they are earthquake resistant.

Changes proposed in the Redevelopment Project

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THE PROPOSAL By HCP

• The 2 main features of the Redevelopment are:  

1. A new Parliament building will be constructed in addition to the existing one by July 2022 coinciding with India's 75th Independence Day

2. A new common Central Secretariat will be built housing all administrative functions in the Central Vista that are currently spread across the city of Delhi by March 2024. Currently, only 22 of the 51 Union Ministries fall under Central Vista. The plan is to house all ministries in the same place.

• The design of the new Parliament building has been released by HCP. The building will be triangular and will have the capacity to seat 900-1200 Members of Parliament. It will give space for Joint Sessions of both the houses. According to the calculations, it will give 50% more space to each Member of Parliament.

• The new Central Secretariat will be located where IGNCA and Raksha Bhavan are currently housed. These older structures will be demolished. It will have 8 buildings, each having 7-8 floors and housing 25000 to 32000 employees from all the ministries. 

• No building will be taller than the height of the India Gate, i.e. 42 meters, to maintain its glory.

• The Prime Minister's Residence and Office will be relocated behind the South Block on Raisina Hill and the PMO on its southeast corner.

• The Rashtrapati Bhavan will be retained as it is.

• The plan for the North Block is to convert it into a museum on 'Making of India' (India before 1857) while for the South Block is to convert it into a museum titled 'India at 75' (India before 1857).

• The existing structure of the National Museum, constructed in 1960, will be demolished and the museum will be relocated to a different location.

• The budget of the entire project is approximately Rs 20,000 crores.

Main features of the proposal by HCP

Points for Discussion

• Changes in Land Use: Approximately 80 acres of land from the 3.2 km stretch which currently is accessible to the public will be restricted under the proposal. 

• Concerns over Heritage Protection: The 3.2 km stretch has buildings falling under the Grade 1 heritage buildings category and is of national importance. These will be demolished or modified. 

• Tree felling: Approximately 1000 trees would be felled. Further, there are concerns about the replenishment of the green cover.

• Urban Transportation and Environment concerns: There are concerns about the impact of the Redevelopment on traffic and urban movement patterns, concerns over heritage, and pollution. 

To consolidate, the CENTRAL VISTA REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT presents complex choices to be made between ‘functionality’ or ‘preserving heritage’.  Instead of getting into a discussion on binary, it would be worthwhile to understand multiple perspectives. 

Pun: chat invites Perspectives / Opinions / Stands / Takes on The Central Vista Redevelopment Project in the comments below.

Article by : Pun: chat Team

Dr. Vandana Talegaonkar, Ar. Nisha Parikh & Ar. Anushka Juneja