On Saturday, the Centre released a document debunking myths about the Central Vista project, which the opposition Congress party has used to attack the government.
The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs discussed the project’s funding, environmental issues, and other topics in a press release. Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union minister for housing and urban affairs, recently attacked the Congress, calling the opposition’s objections “bizarre.”
The ministry responded to the opposition’s claim that 20,000 crore is being spent on the project this year during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that the redevelopment plan was conceived in 2019, many months before the pandemic, and that it is a six-year generational infrastructure investment project involving multiple projects. It also stated that the gross rough estimate of all planned development/redevelopment works is 20,000 crore.
The ministry responded to the opposition’s claim that 20,000 crore is being spent on the project this year during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that the redevelopment plan was conceived in 2019, many months before the pandemic, and that it is a six-year generational infrastructure investment project involving multiple projects. It also stated that the gross rough estimate of all planned development/redevelopment works is 20,000 crore.
“Till date, only 2 projects of New Parliament Building with tendered cost ₹862 crore and Redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue with tendered cost ₹477 crore have been awarded and works are underway. Expenditure incurred on these 2 projects till March 2021 is ₹195 crore and budget provision for 2021-22 is ₹790 crore,” the ministry said.
It also rubbished the reports that ₹13,450 crore is being incurred on new house for Prime Minister. The estimate includes multiple projects, including 10 buildings, the ministry said, adding that the construction work for the Prime Minister’s residence has not yet been tendered and no sanction has been accorded by the government. “The cost for the PM’s residential complex has been mischievously exaggerated in media,” the ministry said.
Further, the ministry rejected the charge of diverting funds from public healthcare and Covid-19 response to the Central Vista Project. The ministry said that in Union Budget 2020-21, there was a 137% increase from previous year’s budget estimate in allocation for public healthcare and well-being expenditure. ” ₹35,000 crore of the annual allocation has been allocated as a one-time grant towards Covid-19 vaccination, significantly more than the cost of the Central Vista redevelopment project. Thus, the one-time amount for vaccination for FY 2021-22 is 175% more than the total budget for the Central Vista project, which is expected to be completed by 2026,” the ministry said.
The ministry also dismissed charges of a lack of public disclosure, the project being a drain on resources, and the government continuing it during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic by invoking the Essential Services Act.
The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs is in charge of the Central Vista redevelopment project, which includes a new triangular Parliament building, a common Central Secretariat, a three-kilometer-long Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, and new residences for the prime minister and vice president.
