Congress attacks govt on Central Vista project

It alleged the government fasttracked the project during the lockdown. Congress said that the nation is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and the government is in construction mode and asked the government to scrap the project which is to cost around Rs 20,000 crore.

A Govt of "Misplaced Priorities" & "ill-conceived Goals," tweeted Randeep Surjewala, chief spokesperson of the party .

The Congress said that when the nation is fighting the pandemic then the government wants to go ahead with the project only to satisfy its ego and put its stamp on it.

Party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that "in the amount the country can get 15 lakh ventilators which can help the nation to fight Covid-19."

The Congress said when the matter is subjudice the priority of the government is a project which will erode the green zone at Rajpath while the government should think of migrants and giving help to poor.

The party requested the Supreme Court to hear the matter urgently

The Supreme Court had on Thursday declined to stay the Central Vista project, and observed that a similar petition opposing the project is pending in court. The apex court was hearing a plea, through video conferencing, filed by advocate Rajeev Suri challenging Central Vista redevelopment plan on the ground that there is an illegal change in land use.

The Central Vista houses iconic buildings like the Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the North and South Block buildings, which house important ministries, and also India Gate. The Centre is proposing to redevelop it by constructing a new parliament house, a new residential complex, which would house the Prime Minister and the Vice President besides several new office buildings.

The work on the Central Vista is slated for completion by November 2021. By March 2022, a new parliament building would be built and a common central secretariat by March 2024, according to the government.