Central Vista transport plan in the works

New Delhi: The government is preparing a comprehensive transportation plan to connect the different buildings of Central Vista in New Delhi, a senior government official said.

The housing and urban affairs ministry will soon hire a consultant to advise it on the mode of transportation to be adopted. "Technical evaluation is under process and a consultant would be selected soon," the official said. Central Vista refers to the main administrative area of India, stretching from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, including Parliament House and North and South Blocks, among others.

The government is reconsidering its earlier plan for an underground metro of about three km to provide connectivity between the different buildings of Central Vista and wants to look at it afresh, the official said.


The government had invited bids for providing consultancy services for preparing an Integrated Mobility Development Plan in August. Under the Central Vista project, redevelopment of Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath) and construction of the new parliament have been completed, while Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings and the vice-president's enclave are undergoing construction. The proposed transportation project aims to provide connectivity not just to the government officials working in the buildings but also seeks to decongest the area around Central Vista.

"Central Vista is not only about office buildings but also how we can make swathes of spaces available to the public," said the official cited above.

The total project cost for Central Vista is estimated to be about ₹20,000 crore for the entire development and redevelopment components of the project.

The Central Vista project has different components and entails, among others, the construction of a new Parliament building, a prime minister's residence and a central secretariat.