Kriti Agrawal
The Central Government has filed an objection in the Delhi High Court to a stay of construction on the Central Vista redevelopment scheme.
The Central Government stated in an affidavit filed by Executive Engineer of Central Vista Project, Rajiv Sharma, that the construction activities currently taking place in and around Rajpath and India Gate do not relate to a new parliament building or new offices for the Central Government.
Instead, the current development is focused on public spaces frequented by locals and visitors along Raj Route, and it involves the construction of public amenities such as new toilet blocks, parking spaces, pedestrian underpasses underneath the C-Hexagon, and so on.
The petitioners in this case, Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi, sought a halt to the construction because of the covid-19 situation in the national capital and the danger posed by the construction work as a possible super spreader.
The petitioners stated that they do not wish to go beyond the Supreme Court’s January 5 decision, which gave the project the go-ahead.
The petition argued that there was no justification for classifying the Central Vista Project as an important service simply because some executive-mandated contractual deadline had to be met.
The Delhi High Court had previously scheduled a hearing for May 17 without issuing any orders. The petitioner then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, arguing that adjourning the case to May 17 would defeat the urgency and public health emergency sought by the petition.
On May 7, the Supreme Court refused to intervene, but allowed the petitioners to bring the case before the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court for an early hearing.
In accordance with this, a reference was made before the Chief Justice on Monday, who then proceeded to list the case on Tuesday.
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, it was postponed until Wednesday because the Centre’s response was not on file.
The Centre’s renovation project in Lutyens Delhi’s Central Vista district includes a new Parliament House, a new residential complex for the Prime Minister and Vice-President, several new office buildings, and a Central Secretariat to house Ministry offices.
On January 5, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court gave its approval to the project, dismissing a slew of petitions challenging the scheme for alleged violations of land use and environmental norms.
