Central Vista Redevelopment Project

The criteria for the competition were set by the Council of Architecture, which included no building being taller than India Gate. The project proponent or client had to seek conceptual approval from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC). Financial decisions received clearance from the Central Vigilance commission. Monetary allocation was provided from the Finance Ministry. Project assessment studies were done by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). The regulatory master plan is supposed to be done by an elected body like the NDMC, MCD or DDA, but was done by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).[10]

In reality, instead of a call to competition there was a Notice Inviting Tender. The difference being that in a competition the winner is awarded a prize, not a contract; in a tender, there is a firm intent and the winner receives the contract. The competition was held in two rounds. In the first round, merit is based on possibilities and innovation. In the second stage, the winner is decided based on their capacity to deliver results. The winner was decided by a jury, the names of jury members was announced before the competition. While the jury can make recommendations, the public can review and be consulted as well.[11]

After seeking No Objection Certificates from the fire service, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and nods from Central, CVC and Heritage Conservation Committee, the NDMC submits the project to the DUAC for detailed approval. After such clearance, the construction begins with periodic supervision by the municipal body.[10]

There were six finalists of the competition:[12]

• HCP Design, Planning And Management Pvt. Ltd.
• CP Kukreja Architects
• Hafeez Contractor
• Sikka Associates Architects
• Studio Archohm
• INI Design Studio

The competition was won by HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd. There are different components to the overall project, the contractors for each component are to be chosen by individual bidding processes.

A new triangular parliament building to be built besides existing structure is the first building to be developed under the project. The new structure will have an area of 64,500 sq ft (5,990 m²) and 4 floors and will hold 150% more seating capacity as India aims to expand its parliament in 2026. The project with an estimated budget of ₹971 crore (US$140 million) started in December 2020 and expecting completion in mid-2022. It will have digital interface systems, will consume significantly less power and serve for following 150 years[14] while the older structure will be retained as an archeological asset of the country and will be modified for more functional spaces for parliament.[15]

Instead of North and South block which house ministries, a new common set of ten doughnut shaped buildings on four plots as Secretariat will be built on either side of Rajpath. Height of all buildings will be 42 meters and will have 7 floors. Exteriors of all buildings will be similar to surrounding Lutyens buildings and each of 3 will be interconnected by electric carriages in underground ways and buses on overground.

The existing Secretariat houses only 22 ministries with 41,000 employees while the rest 29 with 10,000 employees are located acroos the city of Delhi. The new facility itself will house over 51 ministries.[13]

Vigyan Bhavan will be demolished and new a Central Conference Hall will be built besides National Archives.[13]

The residence and office of PM will be moved behind South block and brought within central vista, in southwest and southeast corners respectively to cut down travel time and traffic restrictions on roads as existing structures are 2.8 km apart. Similarly, residence and office of VP will be moved behind North block.[16]

PM's new residence will be built on a 15 acres plot with 10 buildings with four floors with a maximum height of 12 meters with a building for keeping Special Protection Group. The enclave of Vice President will have an area of 15 acres with 32 five-story buildings with a maximum height of 15 meters.[17]

The reaction from the public has been mixed with some praising the plan, to criticizing the need of the project. The plan has been welcomed for completing some long pending maintenance repairs to the area.

Opposition parties and former civil servants have questioned the need to spend money on the project during a pandemic. Many conservationists and historians have criticized the project for "robbing" Delhi of its heritage and an attempt to "erase" India's colonial history. Others have disputed labeling transformation as an erasure but rather recognition of the sentiment that India can no longer be defined by colonial symbols. Colonial symbols will neither be destroyed nor appropriated but simply remain. The engaged architect Bimal Patel called the project a triumph of "common sense" with a simple and functional design.[18][2][19]

One misconception is regarding the cost of the construction. The government stated that the entire project costs ₹20,000 crore (US$2.84 billion), and the parliament building alone costs ₹971 crore (US$137.89 million). However, some reports incorrectly referred to the ₹971 crore figure as the cost of the entire project, rather than just the parliament building.[20]