Rashtrapati Bhavan, facades of Parliament not to be touched during Rajpath facelift

NEW DELHI: Rashtrapati Bhawan and the facades of Parliament and North and South Blocks will not be touched during the redevelopment of entire area along the Rajpath, a senior urban affairs ministry official said on Friday.
“The conditions and terms of reference have been clearly spelt out in the bid document for selection of the firm that will prepare the overall plan for development/ redevelopment of Parliament, beautification of Central Vista (from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate) and for building a new integrated secretariat. The historic and heritage buildings will not be pulled down. The inside sections will be redeveloped and these will be made earthquake proof,” said the official.
He also said there is no list of government buildings along Central Vista that would be pulled down. “The selected firm will come out with the best solution for the entire area. We have not put any restriction with the intention to get the best design and most efficient functional plan for the entire area,” the officer said.
According to ministry officials, the work for beautifying Rajpath will start after the Republic Day parade in 2021. The redevelopment work would begin in February 2021 and will be completed by November. From 2022, the Republic Day parade would be on modernised Rajpath. “We will put basic facilities to cater to the need of visitors. You wont miss the ice cream on Rajpath,” the official said.
Sources admitted that the development/ redevelopment work wilOriginal Article