Central Vista Project Case: Supreme Court's Nod to Construction Of New Parliament Building, All You Need to Know

New Delhi, January 5: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday ruled in the favour (2:1) of Central government in the Central Vista Project case. The go-ahead by the Supreme Court paves the way for the new Parliament building, which is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 862 crore. The project is to be designed by the Ahmedabad-based HCP design. The Central Vista Project had got mired by controversies over allegations of flouting of environmental norms. However, the Supreme Court's 2:1 verdict in favour of the Central Vista Project clears the decks for the mega-project as the environmental clearances have also been upheld by the apex court. Central Vista Project: Supreme Court Gives Go-ahead For Project, Construction of New Parliament Complex Near India Gate Can Continue.

The Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar, delivered the verdict and validated the construction of the Central Vista Project. While Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari ruled in favour, Justice Khanna J went against the majority view. This resulted in the verdict passed in the favour of the Central government by 2:1.

What Is The Central Vista Project?

The Central Vista Project is not just aimed at rebuilding the old Parliament building, but the entire land measuring upto 86 acres in the nation capital's Lutyens. The area comprises of several important buildings like the Parliament house (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), North Block, Rashtrapati Bhavan and South Block.

Why Need For A New Building?

The new Parliament building was needed because the old and current one had outgrown it's utility as it could not house the increasing number of members and neither was the building fullproof in terms of security arrangements.

To give an example, in the year 2009, part of then petroleum minister Murli Deora's office ceiling came crushing down. A portion of a ceiling fell in his office in the Parliament premises, former secretary general,  VK Agnihotri had said in an interview last year. Besides these signs of aging, another aspect was the space for members within the legislative chamber.

The Controversy Surrounding Central Vista Project?

The main issues on which the project was challeneged in the court were: Neglect and violations of environmental law, municipal law and change of land use. However, the objections have been dismissed by the Supreme Court.

What Does the Verdict Mean?

The apex court's verdict means that the project can move ahead smoothly. The environmental clearances have also been upheld by the Supreme Court. The verdict means that the house of the biggest democracy in the world will have a new building, which will be a state-of-the-art affair.

The Central Vista revamp, announced in September, 2019 envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, reported PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 10 had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building in New Delhi's Sansad Marg on December 10. The building will be modern, state-of-the-art and a triangular-shaped building, adjacent to the present Parliament. "Lok Sabha will be 3 times of the existing size and Rajya Sabha will be substantially bigger," reported Rajya Sabha TV. The project is aimed to be demonstrated as an example of India's architectural calibre by the 75th year of independence of India, in the year 2022. It is to be upheld as a model of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant) India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2021 01:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).