Big Boost For Centre: Supreme Court Gives Go-ahead For Central Vista Project

The Central Vista revamp, announced in September 2019 envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, that is to be constructed by August 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the government go-ahead for the Central Vista project. “We hold that there are no infirmities in clearances given, change in land use. Exercise of the power under DDA Act is valid. The recommendations of environmental clearance by Ministry of Environment is just and we uphold the same”, a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna said while hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Centre’s decision to demolish and reconstruct the Indian Parliament and Delhi’s Central Vista region.

The Central Vista revamp, announced in September 2019 envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, that is to be constructed by August 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day.

On December 7 last year the top court had allowed the Centre to proceed with the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Central Vista project on December 10 after the government assured it that no construction or demolition work would commence till the apex court decides the pending pleas on the issue.

“We never thought you will go ahead so aggressively with construction. The fact that there is no stay does not mean you can go ahead with everything,” the top court bench said.

The government argued that there would be only foundation stone-laying ceremony and no construction, demolition or felling of trees in the area.

The Centre had also said there was no arbitrariness or favouritism in selecting a consultant for the project and the argument that the government could have adopted a better process cannot be a ground to scrap the project.

On December 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building, the construction of which is expected to be completed by 2022 at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore. Gujarat-based architecture firm HCP Designs has won the consultancy bid for the project to redevelop the Central Vista.

With Agency inputs