The controversial project is initiated by the NDA-led government in order to revamp the Central Vista which is a 3.2 km stretch in the Lutyens Delhi built in the 1930s by the Britishers. It was announced in the year 2019 by the central government with intentions to provide a new identity to the ‘Power Corridor’ of India. The project costing around Rs 20,000 crore will involve bulldozing and rebuilding a number of government buildings and iconic landmarks and reconstructing a new parliament. It is currently being executed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and is estimated to be completed by 2024.
Why it is being opposed?
The project has been opposed by a section of political leaders, conservationists, and environmentalists. In the opinion of the opposition leaders, Rs 20,000 crore is a huge fund allocated to the project and it should rather be used to strengthen our efforts in dealing with the coronavirus crisis. On the other hand, the conservationists believe that demolishing the iconic landmarks which were designed by Edwin Lutyens in 1927 is not a good idea as we will lose our heritage. Also, many civil society groups and environmentalists have been urging the government to scrap its highly ambitious project as it poses a threat to the environment.