The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea seeking to halt the construction activities for the Central Vista project in view of the coronavirus pandemic in India, reported Live Law. The High Court has asked the petitioners to file a fresh application on the matter.
The decision came after the Supreme Court on May 7 refused to interfere with the Central Vista project as the case was already in front of the Delhi High Court. However, it permitted the petitioners to seek an urgent hearing from the High Court. The petitioners had approached the Delhi High Court last week but it adjourned the case till May 17 without hearing it.
The project, an initiative of the Narendra Modi government, aims to redevelop a 3.2-km stretch called the Central Vista that lies at the heart of Lutyens Delhi built by the British in the 1930s. It involves tearing down and rebuilding several government buildings, including iconic landmarks, and constructing a new Parliament at a total cost of Rs 20,000 crore. The construction of the prime minister and vice president’s residences is likely to be over by 2022.
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The petition in the Delhi High Court had said that the construction work has the potential to become a super spreader of the coronavirus and also questioned Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Eish Singhal’s decision to issue movement passes in the “essential services” category to vehicles engaged in the project.
The plea had said that the central government should put all its focus on controlling the pandemic that has affected the national Capital. “Carrying on such construction activities will negate those efforts,” it said.
The health infrastructure in Delhi is under severe strain due to the alarming number of cases reported in the city. There is an acute shortage of medical supplies, especially oxygen. Beds are also scarce for Covid-19 patients who need urgent admission.
As per a Scroll.in investigation, the cost of 162 oxygen generation plants being built by the central government is Rs 201 crore. In contrast, the budget for the new Parliament building itself is nearly five times more at Rs 971 crore.
The Supreme Court had given a go-ahead to the initiative in January, rejecting petitions challenging the project for alleged violation of environmental and land-use rules.
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