The upcoming Central Vista, a project to upgrade top Central Government workspaces, has faced quite a bit of criticism with opponents citing issues with costs, plans, approvals and timing. Perhaps what bothers them the most is the audacity of this government to alter the look of Central Delhi’s most hallowed landmarks.
The English-speaking elite opposing the project fondly remember the old days when one family remained in power and the elite had a monopoly on opinion in the country. These Central Delhi landmarks are a reminder of that era, before social media and before the average Indian had a greater say in who is in power. To this elite, the Modi government is still like a bad dream, which, they hope, will end soon.
The Central Vista Project challenges that. It’s scary, unsettling and creates anxiety. Is Modi really so powerful that he can even change Rajpath? Well, yes, he can. He’s in fact a lot more powerful than merely having the ability to modify a few government offices. And it’s the people who have given him this power.
Frankly, if there’s a plan to renovate, consolidate and make creaky government offices more efficient and modern, must we oppose it tooth and nail?
The project hopes to achieve five main benefits. One, it envisages a new state-of-the-art Parliament building because the current one is dilapidated, old and too small to fit future MPs. Two, the biggest benefit is that it will create new ministry buildings, all adjacent to each other, akin to a campus along Rajpath. At present, ministries are spread kilometres apart, causing work delays, poor communication and those annoying traffic snarls with VIP movement (the project seems worth it just to cut the VIP movement traffic snarls!). Three, a new defence enclave will consolidate senior defence offices, again a reasonable move. Four, a new PM’s residence, which again makes sense as the current one is far away, creating daily traffic and security issues. Five, it will create new museums in the earlier buildings like the old Parliament House and North and South Block.
If we had to achieve these same goals but without any disruption to the existing façade at all, there were two more options. The first, renovate the existing old buildings to modern standards, while preserving the entire external structures. Many government buildings in Europe work this way. However, preserving and upgrading heritage structures costs a lot more, especially on an ongoing basis.
The second option is to move the entire government, and make a new campus at another site (such as Naya Raipur in Chattisgarh). In Delhi, this would mean probably moving past Gurugram or Noida, given there’s no such empty land available in the capital itself. Again, this would cost a lot more and take much longer. Also, post the shift the current sites could turn into ghost towns.
Given the above, the current Central Vista project seems to be well-conceived. It is designed as a minimally-invasive façade surgery but gets the job done. Yes, we do lose the India Gate gardens. That is sad. However, we save billions compared to the alternatives. The spending is spread out and doesn’t impinge on other welfare projects or pandemic-related spends.
Does that mean that the Central Vista project raises no concerns and issues at all? Of course not. Like any big government project, there should be accountability. The project should indeed be minimally invasive, on paper, in practice and in spirit. Personally, I have two minor concerns. One, is the final look of the new Parliament. At least in the 3D software rendering videos, the new Parliament was pink and white in color, and resembled a wedding cake. I hope that isn’t the final shade. Stick to natural shades, in harmony with the existing structures and tree cover. Second, there seem to be too many museums being created. Perhaps from my childhood school picnic memories, I have Indian museum trauma. Indian museums are insanely dull and need to be modernised. Unless they plan to put an IMAX theatre in the old Parliament building, add some virtual reality sections in the North Block or have beautiful cafés in the South block, these museums will simply gather dust. Make the museums, but make them ultra-modern, interactive and clean. Have staff that doesn’t look sleepy or annoyed at seeing yet another batch of school kids (told you, childhood trauma).
Old British architecture was indeed beautiful. However, contemporary India has also made beautiful buildings. Mumbai’s T2, Delhi’s T3, the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata and Mahatma Gandhi Mandir in Gandhinagar are all examples of good modern Indian architecture, where form meets function. I am sure that with a billion plus eyes on the architects and contractors, they will deliver on Central Vista.
Change is unsettling, but let’s not be opposed to change for the sake of it. In fact, let’s support and look forward to the new Central Vista!