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DDA approves land use change for Central Vista redevelopment
Senior officials at the Union housing and urban affairs ministry and central public works department (CPWD), the nodal agency for the project, were tight-lipped about the development.
The proposal to shift the Prime Minister’s residence closer to South Block from Lok Kalyan Marg may become be a reality.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday changed the land use of a 15-acre plot from recreational to residential on Dalhousie Road near South Block where the PM’s new residence has been proposed by the firm selected to redesign the Central Vista.
The 15-acre plot on Dalhousie Road houses old hutments, which are owned by the Defence establishment, a senior official said. HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, the Ahmedabad-based firm appointed as the consultant for the Central Vista Project, has proposed the shifting of PM’s residence closer to South Block on Dalhousie Road.
The land-owning agency has also approved the change in land use of six other plots spread over 86 acres in the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone (LBZ) for the implementation of the Centre’s ambitious Rs 2,000-crore project, which aims to redevelop Central Vista so that it represents “values and aspiration of a New India”.
The decision was taken at a DDA meeting chaired by Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal. The proposal to change the land use of these seven plots, where new government offices will be constructed, was made by Land and Development Office (L&DO), which falls under the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (HUA).
“We had got a proposal from L&DO for a change in the land use of seven plots, necessary for the redevelopment of Central Vista. The proposal has been approved and will be notified by the Centre,” Vijender Gupta, DDA member and leader of the opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said.
Senior officials at the Union housing and urban affairs ministry and central public works department (CPWD), the nodal agency for the project, were tight-lipped about the development. According to senior CPWD officials, tenders for the project will be floated in the next few months as construction is likely to start by May next year.
According to the deadline set by the HUA ministry, the new state-of-the-art Parliament House Building will be completed by July 2022. Spread over an area of 9.5 acres, the new building will come up opposite Parliament House. DDA approved the proposal to change the land use of the plot from recreational to Parliament House.
Further, the land use of plots, which house establishments such as Vigyan Bhawan (spread over 24.7 acres), National Archives (7.7 acres) and Rakha Bhawan (4.5 acres), have also been changed from public and semi-public to government offices and space is allocated for the development of district parks.
This will now be put in the public domain for suggestions/objections and later notified by the HUA ministry. “The land-use changes approved by DDA will be in public domain for a period of 30 days. In case, we get some objections then a Board of Inquiry will be constituted. The final notifications will be published by the ministry,” said a senior DDA official.
Urban planners say there should be detailed public consultation on the project. “We will have to look at the proposed land-use changes before commenting on it. But the government should have a detailed public consultation on the project before implementing it,” said KT Ravindran, urban designer and former chairperson of the Delhi Urban Art Commission.
