What is the history of India’s most important road?
In Delhi lies a long leafy road lined with lawns, trees, and canals. This road is known as the Central Vista. It’s here that the Republic Day parade is held each year. It also contains some famous buildings of India that you may have read about in books, like the Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the India Gate War Memorial. Since Delhi is the capital of India, it is in this city that the Prime Minister, President and all other ministers run the nation. And guess where they do it from? Yes, you’re right, they do so from the buildings on Central Vista.
Why is Central Vista in the news now?
In 2019, the Government announced that it would rebuild Central Vista. This came to be known as the Central Vista Project. Here are a few things that will be built under the project:
(1) A brand new triangle-shaped Parliament Building
(2) New houses for the Prime Minister and the Vice-President
(3) A new office for the Prime Minister
(4) A new Central Vista Avenue
It will cost the Government Rs. 20,000 crores to complete the entire project. Of this, the new Parliament building will cost Rs. 1,000 crores. The project will finish in 2024.
Why are many people against the Central Vista Project?
Many people think the large amount of money required by the Central Vista Project should be spent on something more important than reconstructing old buildings. Some historians think that by destroying the old buildings on Central Vista, India will lose a special piece of its heritage. Many trees are also being cut for the construction of the new buildings.
What is the response of the Government?
The Government has said that the present buildings in the Central Vista are almost a hundred years old and in bad shape. It has also said that many more trees will be planted once the construction is complete and the environment will not be harmed.
