Important Facts For Prelims
Central Vista Redevelopment Project
- 23 Apr 2020
- 2 min read
Why in News
Recently, many former bureaucrats have opposed the Central Vista redevelopment project.
Key Points
- The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs proposed a Central Vista redevelopment project in 2019.
- The project envisages
- Constructing a triangular Parliament building next to the existing one.
- Constructing Common Central Secretariat.
- Revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath — from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
- North and South Block to be repurposed as museums.
- The government’s argument for revamping Central Vista:
- The Parliament building’s facilities and infrastructure are inadequate to meet the current demand.
- The offices of the Central Government are spread over different locations which affects inter-departmental coordination, and unnecessary travel leading to congestion and pollution.
- Most of the existing buildings have outlived their structural lives.
Central Vista
- Currently, the Central Vista of New Delhi houses Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate, National Archives among others.
- In December, 1911, King George V made an announcement in Delhi Durbar (a grand assembly) to shift the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi.
- Delhi Durbar was hosted to mark the coronation of King George V.
- The task of constructing a new city was given to Edwin Lutyens, known for his strong adherence to European Classicism and Herbert Baker, a prominent architect in South Africa.
- Herbert Baker is also the architect of the Union buildings at Pretoria, South Africa.
- Parliament House building was designed by both Lutyens and Baker.
- Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
- The Secretariat which includes both north and south block was designed by Herbert Baker.
