delhi

Updated: Oct 25, 2019 14:25 IST

The contract for designing the ambitious revamp of New Delhi’s Central Vista, or Rajpath, the seat of power in national capital Delhi, was awarded to Ahmedabad-based firm HCP Design, Planning And Management Private Limited on Friday. The firm was involved in the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project and the chief architects of Bharatiya Janata Party’s new headquarters in New Delhi.

Hindustan Times had reported that HCP was the front-runner for the project on October 20.

In September, government officials met 15 architects interested in the project and submitted 24 proposals. Six of them including INI Design Studio Ahmedabad, Mumbai-based Hafeez Contractor, and New Delhi-based CP Kukreja Architects had submitted their bids.

“HCP has been finalised. All the three parts of the project including the Central Vista, Parliament and the Rajpath area will be designed by them,” Union urban affairs minister Hardeep Puri said.

Puri said the government would have multiple public consultations on the project and would meet and consult firms that didn’t get the contract as well.

The final decision was taken by an empowered jury which had reviewed the presentations made by each firm.

The plan involves restructuring the Central Vista in a move that could include revamping or building a new Parliament House by 2022 and razing a dozen government offices to build an integrated complex by 2024.

As reported by Hindustan Times on September 13, the area spread across roughly 4 sq km, along Rajpath, which runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan through Vijay Chowk and India Gate in central Delhi, would be completely revamped.

The plan includes razing buildings such as Shastri Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan that house important government ministries to build a common secretariat for roughly 70,000 central government employees who are located in 30 buildings. The deadline for construction is March 2024.

The plan involves having a new Parliament by India’s 75th Independence Day in 2022.

The Centre will also change the 2021 Delhi Master Plan to enable the planned revamp that would be executed without felling any trees.

Architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker planned the Central Vista of Delhi. Most of the iconic buildings were constructed between 1911 and 1931, when the new capital was inaugurated.