Amid criticism over the ongoing construction work for the Central Vista redevelopment project, the Delhi High Court on Monday said it is an “essential national project”.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh dismissed a plea seeking a halt on the ongoing construction amid the pandemic, and fined the petitioner ₹ 1 lakh saying that the plea was ‘motivated’ and ‘not genuine’.
The court said under the contract for the Central Vista was awarded to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, work had to be completed by November 2021 and, therefore, it should to be allowed to continue. It said the legality of the project was already upheld by the Supreme Court. “It is an essential project of national importance. Public is vitally interested in the project,” the Court said.
No question arises of suspending the construction work as “the labourers are staying at the site”, the court said during the hearing this morning.
In Delhi, which was under a lockdown for over a month, the construction work was permitted at construction sites where workers have been given on-site accommodation.
The Central Vista project envisages a new triangular parliament building, a common central secretariat and revamping of the three-kilometre-long Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
