india

Updated: Apr 30, 2020 14:17 IST

The Central Vista project will not be put on hold for now, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while hearing a petition challenging the Centre’s decision to notify a change in land use regarding the redevelopment plan.

The renovation of the Parliament building is a segment in the Centre’s larger Central Vista project which includes a new Parliament house, a new Central secretariat complex for ministries, and new residences for the Prime Minister and the Vice President. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2024.

The Delhi Development Authority last December had changed the land use of a 15-acre plot from recreational to residential on Dalhousie Road near South Block where the PM’s new residence has been proposed.

The opposition parties have criticised the Centre’s decision to go ahead with the project as the country battles the deadly coronavirus disease.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to the PM, on April 10, in which she urged him to suspend the Rs 20,000 crore allocated to the project.

“At a time like this, such an outlay seems self-indulgent to say the least. I am certain that Parliament can function comfortably within the existing historical buildings. There is no urgent or pressing requirement that cannot be postponed until this crisis is contained,” she wrote.

Trinamool leader and MP Mahua Moitra also slammed the move.

“The government is suspending MPLADS funds for two years for generate resources to fight Covid-19 but wants to spend Rs 20,000 crore on the central vista project,” she said.