Union Minister Puri hits out at opposition

New Delhi Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said a false narrative is being created over the Central Vista redevelopment plan and asserted that it is not a "vanity project", but a necessity.

He also said no design has been finalised for a new Prime Minister's residence and only two projects - the Parliament building and Central Vista Avenue - are currently being executed at a cost of around Rs 1,300 crore. Hitting out at the opposition, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said he has been noticing that a false narrative is being created over the central project and added that no heritage building will be "touched".

"It is not a vanity project, and this is a project of necessity," Puri asserted while addressing a press conference. The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the construction work of the Central Vista project to continue, saying it was a "vital and essential" national project.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh dismissed a plea seeking to halt the project during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the petition was "motivated" and "not a genuine PIL".

It imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioners. The redevelopment of the Central Vista, the nation's power corridor, envisages a new Parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new Prime Minister's residence and office, and a new Vice President Enclave.