It came as a shock when one learnt of the plan of the Government to ‘redevelop’ the iconic Central Vista comprising Rashtrapati Bhavan, South Block, North Block, Parliament House, Rajpath and some of the Bhavans housing various ministries. It seems the decision has been taken without consultations with experts. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) also appears to be unaware of it as they made queries about it a few days back. The whole idea was kept under wraps until some of the architects who were interested in bidding raised a few points.

It is strange that for a sensitive and massive project which will result in destruction of a few heritage buildings as well as involve huge costs not only in money but in terms of environmental damage, no public debate took place and no expert bodies engaged with conservation were taken into confidence. What prompted the Government to take on this razing and building spree is not very clear. The Minister of Urban Affairs came out with several reasons justifying this project once it came into public knowledge. “We want to build New India”, he said. According to him North Block and South Block remind us of colonial rule.

It has been 72 years since we got rid of that colonial rule. Britishers left some bad and some good legacies in this country. Does it mean that the mental burden of that colonial rule can go only after we destroy what was made by them? Does it mean that the next on the razing block are Red fort, Jama Masjid and other iconic structures built by Mughals or even earlier by Tughlak or Lodi dynasties? This is our heritage and we need to preserve it. If we make South Block a museum of colonial rule which again the minister suggests, are we not perpetuating the memory of the colonial rule which we wish to erase?

Yes, the buildings are nearly a hundred years old. So what? They are solid buildings and are serve their purpose very well. Earthquake proof? In several decades, no earthquake did any damage to these two buildings. The minister also finds these buildings inefficient. In what way? As a young IFS officer, he worked in South Block. This writer also had the fortune of working in North Block for many years. There was no occasion to feel any discomfort or inefficiency in any way. As a matter of fact, these buildings are more comfortable than the Bhavans we built later. In any case efficiency flows from the human beings who inhabit the buildings though it is true that surroundings and place of work do contribute to it.

The redevelopment plan also envisages razing a few bhavans like Udyog Bhavan, Shastri Bhavan etc. These should go as according to the minister these are also quite old. It is difficult to accept that a building has a life of only 50 to 60 years. From outside, all these Bhavans look quite elegant and well preserved. If inside there are some problems, it must be due to poor maintenance which the CPWD should be asked to fix. For example, Rail Bhavan is maintained well by the Ministry of Railways and is one of the cleanest buildings around. (It is another matter that the beautiful red floor of the building was spoilt by covering it with slippery tiles during Lalu Prasad’s ministership.)

Another narrative being forwarded by Minister of Urban Affairs for the redevelopment plan is to have one integrated complex for all Central Government Offices. This again is not a desirable proposition. Do we want to build multi-storied buildings to house all the ministries and departments of GOI? Apart from destroying the central vista, locating the entire crowd in one integrated complex will add to traffic chaos and will not be conducive to efficient functioning. If we are short of space in the present setup we should find an open space and build another complex as was done in the case of CGO complex in the 1980s.

As per all these narratives one is really at a loss to understand as to why we are thinking of tampering with the present layout of Central vista. The reason advanced for expansion of Parliament House is to be able to provide a separate room for each member of Parliament. Why does each member of parliament need a separate room in Parliament House? MPs do not have a 9 to 5 job. They are in New Delhi when Parliament is in session. Rest of the time they are supposed to be in their constituencies and while in Delhi they can meet visitors at their houses. For security reasons, visitors cannot have free access to Parliament house to meet an M.P in his room.

It thus appears that not much brainstorming or concrete planning has gone into the need, shape or design of the project before floating bids early this month and giving very little time to the prospective bidders. The Indian Institute of Architects have also called for more clarity and transparency. According to them, the ministry has offered different narratives ever since they advertised for bids. Prospective bidders are not even clear about the blueprint for the project. The School of Planning and Architecture Alumni Association has summed up very succinctly, “There are numerical layers in our city building.

The project appears to dissolve all that, in the name of building ‘New India’. Somebody should define what it means.” Whatever it may mean the reality is that the so-called development plan of Central Vista is not a well-conceived idea. Apart from its heritage value, it is here in this Vista that heads of many Indians swell with pride while watching the Republic Day parade year after year on Rajpath with its beautiful lawns, water bodies on either side and scores of Jamun trees which may be as old as North and South Block. What is required is to plant new such trees which will in due course of time replace the old and dying ones.

It was here at Rajpath down Raisina hill that many of us with our young children treated ourselves to haunting tunes, including Gandhiji’s favourite ‘Abide by me’ at the Beating Retreat ceremony. The children loved this spectacle and felt proud to be part of such a wonderful show. At the end of the ceremony how everyone squealed with delight when the buildings were lit up. Are we going to get rid of all that delighted the young and the old. I can visualise many of those children asking like Greta Thunberg did the other day “How dare you?” Have we thought of the damage the project will do to the environment.

Such massive construction is bound to add pollution with dust to the already polluted city of Delhi. Delhi’ites will have to negotiate the chaos and mess for years. The date of 2024 set for completion is not realistic at all. From where will the Government function till then? Scattering Government employees to different places with all the paraphernalia will definitely be non-productive. Did all this go into the thought process when chalking out this plan? If not then why initiate the process of calling for bids? If it is just an ‘idea’ as the minister at one stage said, then it will be desirable to give it up.

(The writer is a former Additional Secretary to Government of India)