SC Puts Central Vista Project In Abeyance Till Judgment; Allows New Parliament's Stone-Laying Ceremony

A new parliament complex will be constructed which will have 876-seat Lok Sabha, 400-seat Rajya Sabha and 1224-seat central hall.

(File Photo/ Getty)

The Supreme Court on Monday imposed an interim stay on any construction in the new Parliament House and Central Vista project comprising government buildings but allowed the Central Government to conduct the foundation ceremony. The court expressed its displeasure over the way the Central government is going ahead with construction work for the Central Vista project despite the fact that the case is still in the process of hearing. After the court's displeasure, the Center assured that neither construction will be done in Central Vista nor any old building will be demolished before the verdict comes. The work of planting trees elsewhere will also be stopped. After this, the court approved the foundation stone program of the new Parliament House to be held on 10 December. What is Central Vista Project A new parliament complex will be constructed which will have 876-seat Lok Sabha, 400-seat Rajya Sabha and 1224-seat central hall. Tata Projects Limited won the bid to construct the new Parliament building, close to the existing one, at a cost of Rs 861.90 crore under the Central Vista redevelopment project in September this year. The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres and is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore besides that the new building will be earthquake resistant. The construction of the building will directly involve 2,000 people and indirectly involve 9,000 people. A new residence for the Prime Minister and the Vice President will also be built near the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Petitions Against Central Vista Project This ambitious project of the Central Government has been challenged in the Supreme Court through several petitions. It has been said in these petitions that this project was started without passing proper legislation. There are drawbacks in the process of getting environmental clearance for this. Petitions have reportedly said that the scheme is just a waste of government money. Moreover, surrounding historic buildings are feared to be damaged by the project.