In the latest updates regarding the much talked about Central Vista Project, an idea to potentially refurbish India's power corridor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the project by laying the foundation stone for what would be the new Parliament on the 10th of December. The 20,000 crore Central Vista project boasts of a New Parliament building as its highlight. The proposed four-storey building would be close by to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the parliament building in itself costs around 971 Crores to build according to reports.
While the PM said that the project would be " a symbol of a new and self-reliant India", this project has not been without its hurdles. The construction is yet to begin as a legal challenge is pending in the Supreme Court of India regarding the redevelopment of the Central Vista. The case has been going on since March 2020 and several hearings have been held, the last hearing being on November 5.
Infact, when the speaker of the Lok Sabha made the announcement of the inauguration of the project by the Prime Minister, it seemed to have irked the Supreme Court, and it subsequently called for a suo motu hearing “in view of certain developments”.
Apart from this, the project has also been facing a lot of flak from the public with Tamil Film star- turned- politician Kamal Haasan weighing in on the subject and questioning the point of such a massive financial expenditure at a time when the country is struggling to get its economy back on track.
"Why a 1,000-crore new Parliament when half of India is hungry, losing livelihood due to coronavirus. When thousands died as the Great Wall of China was being built, the rulers said it was to protect people. To protect whom are you building the Rs1,000-crore Parliament? Please answer my honourable elected PM," Mr Haasan tweeted on Saturday.
If the Supreme Court gives the green light however, the construction would be carried out by Tata Projects Ltd. and is expected to be ready by the 75th Independence Day on 2022. The ambitious project has plans of a triangular shaped Parliament with increased seating capacities both in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in anticipation of the end of the 25 year old freeze in increasing the state wise distribution of seats in 2026, while overlooking the old parliament which would be converted to a museum.
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