NEW DELHI: A group of former civil servants have written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing their dismay at the remodeling of the central view The project, which they alleged, has been “marked by a degree of executive arrogance” since its inception.
The 69 retired bureaucrats, under the auspices of the Constitutional Conduct Group, affirmed that the country’s public health infrastructure was crying out for investment and asked why this “wasteful and unnecessary project should take precedence over social priorities such as health and education.”
Signatories included former IAS officers Jawhar Sircar, Jawed Usmani, NC Saxena, Aruna Roy, Harsh Mander, and Rahul Khullar, and former IPS officers AS Dulat, Amitabh Mathur, and Julio Ribeiro.
“Despite misleading reasoning as to why a new parliament building It is absolutely necessary, it is cause for great dismay that at a time when we are faced with an economy in dangerous decline and a pandemic that has brought untold misery to millions of people, the government has chosen to invest large sums in a project that represents nothing but the pursuit of pomp and greatness, “they said.
The project to remodel the central view in the heart of the national capital includes the construction of a new parliament complex, government buildings for central ministries, a new enclave for the vice president and a new office and residence for the prime minister, among others.
The Central Department of Public Works (CPWD), which is executing the project, has revised its estimated cost from Rs 11,794 crore to Rs 13,450 crore.
“We are writing to you today to convey our dismay at the way your government, and you, as your boss, have chosen to completely ignore the rule of law in the matter of the Central Vista Redevelopment project. This project, from its Since Its beginnings have been marked by a degree of executive arrogance that has rarely been seen before, “the letter alleges.
“Of particular concern is the way in which environmental clearances were obtained for a plan that treats the green spaces and built heritage of the central view as an unnecessary obstacle to the achievement of goals driven by monumental ambition,” he further alleged .
The former officials also wondered what locus standi has the prime minister to lay the foundation stone for the Parliament building.
“The prime minister is the head of the executive, not the legislature. For a building that will house the two Houses of Parliament, the appropriate protocol would have been for the President of India to lay the foundation stone. This was a clear example of violation of the constitutional property, “the letter alleged.
Modi had laid the first stone of the new Parliament building on 10 December.
The signatories also alleged “blatant shame” in going ahead with the construction of the new Parliament building while the matter is still sub judice.
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