India’s plan to modernise New Delhi raises heritage concerns
4 years, 9 months ago

India’s plan to modernise New Delhi raises heritage concerns

Al Jazeera  

A three-kilometre stretch in New Delhi featuring some of India’s most iconic landmarks is to be redeveloped, angering historians and conservationists who say the move will rob the country of its heritage and valuable public space. Federal authorities last month said they would change the land use for the 86-acre area that includes Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the India Gate war memorial to “government use” from recreation and public facilities. “The historical significance of the Central Vista lies in its architecture, town planning and politics,” said Swapna Liddle, a historian at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. “Land is a scarce resource, but heritage is even more valuable since it cannot be reclaimed or rebuilt,” said Anuj Srivastava, an architect who has filed a petition against the Central Vista project that is pending in the nation’s top court. “The Central Vista should follow these principles, and in no circumstance should open spaces meant for public use be appropriated for government buildings and residences,” he said.

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History of this topic

Bimal Patel: Criticism of the Central Vista in New Delhi can be put to positive use
2 years, 3 months ago

Bimal Patel: Criticism of the Central Vista in New Delhi can be put to positive use

The Hindu  

Architect Bimal Patel, whose firm, HCP Design, Planning and Management, was selected as the Central Public Works Department’s consultant for the redevelopment of the Central Vista in 2019, speaks to The Hindu a month after the first project of the master plan was opened to the public. Question: The revamping of the Central Vista Avenue or Kartavya Path is the …

What is the Central Vista project?
2 years, 11 months ago

What is the Central Vista project?

Business Standard  

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has been allocated Rs 2,600 crore in Union Budget 2022-23 for the construction of non-residential office buildings of the Central Vista redevelopment project, including the Parliament and Supreme Court. The redevelopment of Central Vista was conceived in September 2019, involving multiple projects spread over six years and estimated to cost Rs 20,000 crore. The …

Indians often see no value in renovating or adding to heritage buildings
3 years, 1 month ago

Indians often see no value in renovating or adding to heritage buildings

The Hindu  

Some have called it the most hated structure in North America; others have hailed it as a stroke of architectural genius. When the Royal Ontario Museum, the largest in Canada, commissioned architect Daniel Libeskind to make an “architecturally appropriate” addition to its old stone Neo-Gothic building, they did so knowing full well the architect’s repertoire. The sharply pivoted set of …

Will the Central Vista revamp follow Delhi’s recycle legacy?
3 years, 4 months ago

Will the Central Vista revamp follow Delhi’s recycle legacy?

Live Mint  

Recycle and reuse are buzzwords today. Delhi, one of the world’s fastest growing megapolises, has borne witness to the construction of several cities through its history: think Lal Kot, Kilugarhi, Siri, Tughlaqabad, Jahanpanah, Firozabad, Dinpanah and its extension Shergarh, Shahjahanabad, and last of all, New Delhi, built by the British when they decided to shift the imperial capital from Kolkata …

Delhi Master Plan for heritage sector addresses safety and lack of infrastructure, in bid to foster vibrant public realm in capital
3 years, 7 months ago

Delhi Master Plan for heritage sector addresses safety and lack of infrastructure, in bid to foster vibrant public realm in capital

Firstpost  

According to the plan, location of all heritage assets that are maintained by respective agencies, shall be integrated with the GIS-based Delhi Spatial Information System. New Delhi: Integrating locations of all heritage assets with GIS based information system, extended timings for hotels and restaurants, preparing a comprehensive cultural resource management plan and setting up of heritage cells are among the …

Central Vista project rides roughshod over heritage
3 years, 7 months ago

Central Vista project rides roughshod over heritage

The Hindu  

The capital city of India battles shortage of oxygen, medicines, vaccines, beds, ventilators, and finally, cremation and burial space. Acres of land in Lutyens’ Delhi, from the India Gate circle towards Rajpath, as well as several linked roads, are being dug up and ransacked in a manner not seen in living memory, in order to construct a new Central Vista …

Central Vista: India’s Modi blasted for $2.8bn project amid COVID
3 years, 7 months ago

Central Vista: India’s Modi blasted for $2.8bn project amid COVID

Al Jazeera  

Modi pushes forward with building new parliament and other structures, with critics accusing him of misplaced priorities amid a raging pandemic. New Delhi, India – Almost the entire Indian capital, ravaged by a ferocious second wave of the coronavirus and forced to go under a lockdown, has come to a standstill – except for a “vanity project” undertaken by India’s …

Artless and heartless: The Hindu Editorial on Central Vista project
3 years, 7 months ago

Artless and heartless: The Hindu Editorial on Central Vista project

The Hindu  

The Government of India’s Central Vista redevelopment project is highly questionable as a national priority at any time, and more so in the midst of a pandemic. The National Museum of India, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, and the National Archives Annexe are set to be demolished to make way for new buildings. Relocation of the treasures …

Building by accord: The Hindu Editorial on Central Vista and the new Parliament building
4 years ago

Building by accord: The Hindu Editorial on Central Vista and the new Parliament building

The Hindu  

With the Supreme Court’s 2-1 judgment clearing the Central Vista project for New Delhi, the Narendra Modi government can now indelibly reshape the national capital’s visual landscape. Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari found no infirmity in the approvals granted by the Central Vista Committee, Delhi Urban Art Commission, the Heritage Conservation Committee and other bodies, paving the way for …

Central Vista plan gets SC nod in 2-1 majority verdict
4 years ago

Central Vista plan gets SC nod in 2-1 majority verdict

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the thumbs-up to the Central government’s over ₹15,000 crore redevelopment plan for the historically significant Central Vista area of New Delhi where a new Parliament, Central Secretariat and union ministries’ offices are to be built. By a 2-1 majority -- the majority judgment was given by justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari, while justice …

Central Vista: former top officers of MEA express concern
4 years, 8 months ago

Central Vista: former top officers of MEA express concern

The Hindu  

The Centre’s plan to convert North Block and South Block into museums as a part of the larger revamp of the Central Vista has some former top officers of the Ministry of External Affairs, which is located in South Block, concerned about preserving the historic nature of the offices in the building. Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, who retired in …

Unravelling the Tangled Knots of Central Vista Redevelopment
4 years, 10 months ago

Unravelling the Tangled Knots of Central Vista Redevelopment

The Quint  

Reviewing the government’s proposal to redevelop the Central Vista of New Delhi as an exclusive government office zone – which includes a new Parliament as well as new residences for the PM and the Vice President – the whole issue seems still more tangled. These may seem like technical matters but need to be highlighted for the general understanding of …

60 minutes with Dr. Bimal Patel
4 years, 11 months ago

60 minutes with Dr. Bimal Patel

The Hindu  

Last October, HCP Design, Planning And Management, an Ahmedabad-based private company, won the bid to design a new Parliament and redevelop the Central Vista. There is no doubt that New Delhi, and Central Vista in particular, were built during the Raj, and meant to signify colonial power. The Vista’s importance lies in how the buildings hold the beautiful views, the …

Daring to recast a vision set in stone
5 years ago

Daring to recast a vision set in stone

The Hindu  

In 1913, a British architect with an undisguised disgust for Hindu architecture was chosen to give the British rulers a clear architectural vision of their power and greatness. At present the government plans to build a new Parliament House adjacent to the present one, convert the Secretariat into museums, demolish and replace a number of buildings along the Central Vista …

BJP’s bid to rebuild Delhi’s Central Vista shows how keen it is to put its stamp even on built history
5 years, 2 months ago

BJP’s bid to rebuild Delhi’s Central Vista shows how keen it is to put its stamp even on built history

The Hindu  

Following the extensive redevelopment and radical altering of Varanasi temple precincts last year, the BJP government is now all set to reshape Central Vista in New Delhi, an urban space soaked in political symbolism and rituals. King’s Way became Rajpath, Viceroy’s House was renamed Rashtrapati Bhavan, Council House became Parliament, and King George’s statue in Central Vista was removed. Delhi’s …

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