Updated: December 8, 2020 2:15:42 am
On December 5, Lok Sabha Chairman Om Birla unveiled the artistic design of the Parliament structure and announced that the goal was to complete construction by 2022. (File photo)
EXPRESSING ITS concern that the Government is proceeding “aggressively” with the redevelopment of Central Vista while petitions against the project are pending, the Supreme Court on Monday gave its go-ahead for the December 10 foundation-laying ceremony for the new Parliament building only after it was assured that no construction, demolition or removal of trees will take place on the site until the various grounds are decided.
“After interacting with the Attorney General, and when the Court’s concern was raised, on instructions, the Attorney General stated that there will be no construction activity of any nature at the site (s) in question and no demolition will take place. of no structure “, including the new translocation of the trees, will remain in abeyance until the ruling is delivered in all these cases,” said a court of judges AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheswari and Sanjeev Khanna.
“In view of the foregoing, we clarify that the authorities would be free to continue with the procedural processes without altering the status of the site (s) in question in any way, including continuing with the scheduled program of laying the first stone on the 10th. December 2020 ”, said the Bank.
On November 5, the court had reserved its order on petitions against the project, which also includes a Common Central Secretariat as part of an integrated complex. On December 5, Lok Sabha President Om Birla unveiled the artistic design of the Parliament structure and announced that the goal was to complete construction by 2022, in time for the 75th anniversary of independence.
The bank did not refer to the announcement, but said it had included the suo motu issue. While clarifying that it had not granted any suspension, the court told Attorney General Tushar Mehta: “The fact that there is no suspension does not mean that I can go ahead with everything.”
On hold for now
The Supreme Court order comes at a time when the government aims to complete the new Parliament building by August 2022. For the government, the benefits of the project are many: security, technology and the cost-benefit of integrated offices . Now you will have to put your plans on hold until the court clears the way.
“We think we are dealing with a prudent litigant and that deference will be shown. We never thought it would go ahead with construction so aggressively. We don’t care if you do the paperwork or lay the foundation stone, but no construction should be done, ”Judge Khanwilkar said.
When Mehta looked for a day to respond, the bank asked her to take instructions in five minutes. After this, Mehta assured that there will be no construction, demolition or cutting of trees until the court decides the pending reasons. He stated that only the laying of the foundation will take place.
The pending petitions have challenged the December 21, 2019 notification from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) regarding the changes in land use for redevelopment.
In defending the project, the Center had told the court that the existing Parliament building had many shortcomings, including lack of space, structural deficiencies and security problems. He said that the Vista Central project will save the public treasury 1 billion rupees that the government currently pays as rent for many of its offices.
The Central Department of Public Works (CPWD) had presented that the current strength of the Lok Sabha has remained at 545 in the delineation made on the basis of the 1971 Census and that it is likely to increase substantially after 2026 when the limit ends.
The new Lok Sabha Chamber, he said, will be able to accommodate 876 members and 1,224 members during joint sessions, while the Rajya Sabha Chamber will be able to accommodate 400 members.
On the need for the Central View, he said the current Parliament building “is almost 100 years old and a Heritage Grade-I building.” “So it is showing signs of distress due to overuse and cannot meet current requirements in terms of space, amenities and technology. The structure of the building also does not comply with the improved provisions of Zone IV of the earthquake with respect to safety, ”he had said.
The CPWD said that the Central Secretariat is currently distributed in 17 buildings and there are 39 ministries located in the Central View in various buildings. The different locations of the central government offices “generate difficulty in interdepartmental coordination, inefficiency, long travel times that cause traffic congestion and pollution.”
The CPWD also said that the central government faces a deficit of around 0.38 million square meters and is paying around 1000 rupees a year for crimes “on rented space rentals.”
In the new project, there will be a Common Central Secretariat with 51 ministries in 10 buildings. It is also proposed to build an underground ferry approximately 3 km long “to connect and integrate all the buildings of the Common Central Secretariat.” It will be connected to the Delhi Metro transit system at Udyog Bhavan and Central Secretary stations.
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