New Delhi: Slamming the opposition, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday mentioned a false narrative is being created over the Central Vista redevelopment plan and asserted that it’s not a “vanity project”, but a necessity.
Hitting out at 60 former bureaucrats over their open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in opposition to the undertaking, Puri mentioned, “They are not educated fools, but they are a disgrace to the country.”
Citing some elements of the letter throughout a press convention, Puri, whose ministry is executing the Central vista redevelopment undertaking, mentioned these former civil servants have alleged that the federal government is constructing a new parliament constructing due to “superstitious beliefs”.
He mentioned in 2012, the then Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar’s OSD had written to Union city improvement secretary for a new Parliament constructing and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh had additionally advocated for a new constructing.
He mentioned in 2012, it had been mentioned that there was want of a new Parliament constructing. But in 2021, these 60 former civil servants are saying the federal government is setting up a new constructing due to “superstitious beliefs”.
“They (60 former civil servants) are not educated fools, and they are a disgrace to the country,” the minister mentioned.
“I will not put my signature on a letter which talks about superstitious beliefs…,” he mentioned.
Without naming anybody, Puri mentioned on May 18, the letter had been written by 60 former bureaucrats, together with a former cupboard secretary and a overseas secretary.
“This is a motivated, ill-intentioned…Criticism. They hide themselves behind social activists,” he mentioned.
Talking concerning the new prime minister’s residence, Puri mentioned no design has been finalised for it and solely two tasks — the Parliament constructing and Central Vista Avenue — are at the moment being executed at a value of round Rs 1,300 crore.
Hitting out at the opposition, the Union minister mentioned he has been noticing that a false narrative is being created over the central undertaking, and added that no heritage constructing can be “touched”.
“This is not a vanity project, and this is a project of necessity,” Puri informed reporters.
The minister attacked the Congress for alleging that a “Modi mahal (Modi palace) is being constructed below the Centre Vista Redevelopment undertaking that can be executed at a value of Rs 20,000 crore.
“Where has this Rs 20,000 cost come from?. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not live in new PM residence forever…Whoever is the be PM will live there,” he mentioned.
He mentioned former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had lived in Teen Murti Bhavan which was later become a museum.
“In 2014, this was the BJP-led NDA government which had first stopped converting former prime minister’s residences into museums…” he mentioned.
Describing the Central Vista Avenue redevelopment, which entails development actions on Rajpath and the encircling lawns from the India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, as a “vital and essential” undertaking of nationwide significance, the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the plea in opposition to it saying it was “motivated” and filed with “ill-intent” and “lack of bonafides”.
While permitting the development exercise to proceed, a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh imposed value of Rs one lakh on the petitioners who needed the work to be halted in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, observing that it was “not a genuine public interest litigation”.
The redevelopment of the Central Vista, the nation’s energy hall, envisages a new Parliament constructing, a frequent central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new prime minister’s residence and workplace, and a new Vice President Enclave.
