Central Vista: Govt starts work on Rajpath redevelopment

The redevelopment of the avenue—which comprises Rajpath, leading from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate—will involve restructuring the avenue, creating underground passes and landscaping the green areas

The Centre on Thursday held the bhoomi poojan for laying the foundation stone of the redeveloped and restructured Central Vista Avenue—the next phase of the Central Vista redevelopment plan.

The bhoomi poojan ceremony of Central Vista Avenue was performed by Union housing minister Hardeep Puri in the presence of housing ministry secretary Durga Shanker Mishra,CPWD DG and senior officers of the ministry at India Gate, New Delhi. (HT Photo)

The bhoomi poojan ceremony of Central Vista Avenue was performed by Union housing minister Hardeep Puri in the presence of housing ministry secretary Durga Shanker Mishra,CPWD DG and senior officers of the ministry at India Gate, New Delhi.

“With this ceremony, the work has started for the development/redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue. The 3km-long Central Vista Avenue stretches from North & South Block to India Gate, and includes Rajpath, its adjoining lawns and canals, rows of trees, Vijay Chowk and the India Gate plaza. This was originally designed to be a grand processional pathway to the Viceroy’s House during the British Raj. It was appropriated by the people of India and their government during Independence,” the ministry said on Thursday.

The redevelopment of the avenue — which comprises Rajpath, leading from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate — will involve restructuring the avenue, creating underground passes, landscaping the green areas and comprehensive maintenance and operation of the same for five years.

The first phase of the Central Vista avenue redevelopment at an estimated cost of ₹502 crore will include refurbishing and landscaping the lawns; the entre has proposed that green cover be increased from 350,000 sqm to about 390,000 sqm. It will also include public amenities with toilets, drinking water facilities and vending areas that are being provided at 10 locations for visitors and tourists.

It will also include underpasses at Janpath and C-Hexagon crossing with Rajpath.

“Walkways across lawns and low-level bridges over canals are being provided to ensure better connectivity with parking, public amenities at 12 suitable locations. Canals are being refurbished with proper lining and aerators are being provided to keep the water clean,” the ministry said.

It will also include parking spaces and foldable seating arrangement “to reduce time taken for installation and removal of temporary seating arrangement during Republic Day Celebrations.”

“Government approved a proposal for development of Central Vista Avenue with estimated cost of ₹608 crore on November 10, 2020. Requisite permissions from Delhi Urban Arts Commission, Heritage Conservation Committee, Central Vista Committee, local bodies, etc. have been obtained,” the ministry said.

HT on January 6 had reported that the Shapoorji Pallonji Group on Wednesday emerged as the lowest bidder for the Centre’s tender for the redevelopment and restructuring of the Central Vista Avenue after it quoted a financial bid of ₹477 crore, nearly 5% lower than the estimated cost of the project pegged at ₹502 crore.

This will be the second phase of redevelopment after Tata Projects Limited was tasked with the construction of the new Parliament complex on September 29, 2020.

The Central Public Works Department, nodal agency for the redevelopment project, revised the estimated cost for the project from ₹463 crore to ₹502 crore in a modified tender document released in November. Of this, ₹372.9 crore is earmarked for civil work and horticulture, ₹113.7 crore for electrical and mechanical work and ₹15.51 crore for operation and maintenance, all for a period of five years.

“Adequate measures will be taken up to mitigate environment pollution during the construction/retrofitting work with focus on water conservation,” the ministry said.

The tender for the redevelopment of the Central Vista Avenue also mandates the firms to maintain it for five years after completion, and requires that the project be completed within 300 days. Work will also need to be carried out in sections to minimise the portion of the avenue that is cordoned off at any given time.

“Some modifications were carried out in Central Vista Avenue after independence; the landscape was altered, new rows of trees were added in the 1980’s, a new road, Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Marg, was constructed to improve north-south connectivity. Annual Republic Day Celebrations (RDC) are held on this avenue every year. Other important functions… has very high footfalls. It is the most frequently visited place and important tourist attraction in Delhi. However, it lacks public amenities like toilets, pathways, designated vending zones, parking, proper lighting, signage, etc. Its lawns and water canals are in depleted condition as they were not planned for heavy public use and now become increasingly stressed. The Republic Day arrangements takes long time and during that time most of the area become inaccessible to public.The government has decided to address these by refurbishing and improving the avenue, as part of the comprehensive transformation of the Central Vista. The objective of the proposal is to make the Avenue an icon that truly befits New India. This will come out to be one of the best Central Vista Avenue of the world,” it said.

“The design also provides space and facilities for vendors, ensures that arrangements for national events cause minimal disruption, and ensures integrity and continuity of the Vista’s original layout, its geometries and its architectural character,” it added.

The plan will also involve razing the buildings on either side of the avenue that house ministry offices to make the Central Secretariat: a set of 11 buildings that will house all the 51 central government ministries.

The Centre in December opened the technical bids for the tender narrowing on five firms, HT reported on December 14.

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, while the entire project, which includes constructing 11 administrative buildings to house all the government ministries, is slated to be finished by 2024.