Five years on, Modi govt’s ambitious Central Vista project still a long way from completion

Five years on, Modi govt’s ambitious Central Vista project still a long way from completion

New Delhi: Five years on, Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project is still in planning stages with no deadline for its completion, ThePrint has learnt. A large part of the Rs 13,500-crore project was to be completed by March 2024 per the initial plan, but sources in government said its completion date might extend past 2027.

According to “stringent timelines” set by the Centre, construction of the new Parliament building, revamp of the Central Vista Avenue and construction of a Common Central Secretariat (set of 10 buildings with six floors each housing modern office spaces for employees of 51 central ministries) were to be completed by March 2024, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had said in a statement in October 2019.

It was proposed to develop a Common Central Secretariat (CCS) by razing existing government buildings including Nirman Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, Vigyan Bhawan and Transport Bhawan, among others.

Also part of the proposed Central Vista project are a residential complex for the Prime Minister, an Executive Enclave (housing PMO, Cabinet Secretariat, India House and the National Security Council Secretariat) and an official residence for the Vice President.

While construction of the new Parliament building and Vice-President’s Enclave, besides revamp of Central Vista Avenue which includes Kartavya Path (earlier Rajpath), is complete, the first set of three CCS buildings is expected to be ready by the year’s end.

Initial deadline for completion of the three CCS buildings was December 2023, according to MoHUA’s response to a question in Lok Sabha in August 2022.

At the same time, work on CCS 10 (one of the 10 buildings) which began in March this year is expected to be completed by June 2026, according to the tender document.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the construction arm of the government, is racing against time to complete the three CCS buildings, but MoHUA is yet to decide which ministries will move into the swanky new office spaces first.

Sources in the ministry said offices in the North Block, which houses key ministries home and finance are likely to shift to CCS 1, 2 and 3, as the Centre plans to convert both North and South Block (which houses the PMO and defence and external affairs ministries) into a museum. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a plan to turn North and South Blocks into a ‘Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum’.

“The three CCS buildings are spread over a huge area and have space for around 16,000 people. Offices at North Block along with a few ministries from either Shastri Bhawan or Nirman Bhawan are likely to move into the CCS buildings. But a final decision is yet to be made,” a source in government said.

Another critical issue MoHUA is looking into is traffic management and parking requirements. The newly constructed CCS will have space for 54,000 personnel of 51 ministries, which are currently located around Kartavya Path in South Delhi. This is bound to lead to traffic issues, especially during peak hours. For smooth movement of vehicular traffic, MoHUA is working on a detailed plan to decongest the redeveloped areas.

ThePrint reached the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for comment but had yet to receive a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.

45-50% likely to be ready by next year

The Central Vista redevelopment project couldn’t take off according to plan as it was challenged in the Supreme Court by members of civil society who were opposed to it, sources in the MoHUA told ThePrint, adding that work started only in January 2021 after a nod from the apex court. The new Parliament building, revamped Central Vista Avenue and Vice-President’s Enclave are now complete, but had missed initial deadlines.

According to the initial plan, an official residence for the Prime Ministers — currently at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg — was to be constructed adjacent to Rashtrapati Bhawan and South Block on Dara Shikoh Road. In 2022, CPWD invited bids for it twice — 18 July and 1 October — but withdrew the same within days. No decision has been made on it so far, it is learnt.

Currently, construction of CCS 1, 2 and 3, CCS 10 and Executive Enclave is underway.

“Close to 45-50 percent of the total work is likely to be completed by next year. The scale of the project is very large and the plan had to be altered as per the ground situation and requirement; the plan is still evolving,” a source in the MoHUA told ThePrint.

The source, however, added that no deadline has been set so far for the completion of remaining CCS buildings. Construction of new CCS buildings can begin only once older buildings including Nirman Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Shastri Bhawan, among others, are razed.

MoHUA, it is learnt, is working on a plan to shift ministries housed in these buildings to the new CCS buildings. “Either (officials from) Shastri Bhawan or Nirman Bhawan will move into CCS 1, 2 and 3,” said a ministry official.

Sources also pointed out that there is no plan yet to shift central ministries either to the new buildings or a transit facility anytime over the next one year.

Bimal Patel, architect of Central Vista whose firm HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd was hired to consult on the redevelopment project, had proposed razing all older buildings to make way for new office spaces.

But sources said no decision has been made yet on Jawahar Bhawan (MEA office since 2010) or Vigyan Bhawan (main conference centre).

The MoHUA has also put on hold a plan to construct Member of Parliament’s Chambers near the new Parliament building, bids for which were invited in January 2023. This was proposed on the plot where Transport Bhawan and Shram Shakti Bhawan are located.

Traffic management plan

While a large number of offices have shifted out of the Central Vista area, MoHUA officials said there is a need to work out a detailed traffic management plan to decongest the areas.

Earlier this year, MoHUA collected data from all ministries about their parking requirements. The ministry also commissioned a traffic management study by a consultant through the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Apart from the plan to construct an underground people mover (metro-like facility) connecting all new office buildings, which will be connected to DMRC’s network, there is a proposal to run free-of-cost shuttle services around the office complexes. The free bus service, which will ply in a loop covering all buildings part of the Central Vista project, is aimed at discouraging the use of private vehicles, said a source in government.

According to senior officials in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Delhi Traffic Police and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the ministry has discussed its plan with the various agencies. “The plan has been sent to the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre for comments,” confirmed a DDA official.

The UTTIPEC, which falls under DDA, is the apex body to clear traffic and transportation projects in the Capital.

An official from the Delhi Traffic Police, too, said the agency has shared its input with the ministry on its proposed traffic management plan. As far as improving traffic circulation around the New Parliament building is concerned, the Delhi Traffic Police has deployed additional staff in the area to ensure smooth movement of traffic.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)