Central Vista Project: Three iconic buildings to be demolished in Delhi

From an archaeological point of view, many experts find this plan undesirable

The Central Vista Redevelopment Project, worth Rs 20,000 crore, consists of building a new parliament building and new residential places for the Prime Minister and the Vice-President. Along with this, the government also plans on reconstructing the central Delhi area, which houses the legislatures and other important historical buildings.

The present Parliament building, which is a 94-year-old structure built during British rule, will be turned into a museum.

As a part of the project, three iconic buildings in Delhi -- the National Museum, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), the National Archives Annexe -- are set to be demolished, according to NDTV. The invaluable art, manuscripts, and other important documents from these buildings have been planned to be moved to a different location.

The famous dancing girl of Harappa, Nataraja in Chola Bronze, relics of Buddha, Ganjifa cards, Tanjore paintings and wood carved doors, that are kept in the National Museum, will be shifted to North or South Block.

The ancient archival records kept in the National Archives Annexe, including 45 lakh files, 25,000 rare manuscripts, more than 1 lakh maps and 1.3 lakh Mughal documents, will be shifted when the annexe building will be demolished. The main building will remain as it is.

The heritage pieces, manuscripts and other historical art pieces will be shifted to the Janpath Hotel. It has been renovated for this purpose.

From an archaeological point of view, experts find this plan undesirable. "It is wrong from a town planning point of view that the original intent of the capital is being changed. The government claims that it is still conserving the heritage. Again, it is wrong because it is conserving a few buildings and that also the skeletons of the buildings. So in other words, what they're doing is the heritage is being conserved by conserving the building but hollowing out its meaning," AG Krishna Menon, architect, urban planner and conservation consultant, told NDTV.

Around 4,58,820 square metres in Delhi will be demolished as part of the renovation process, which includes Shastri Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Vigyan Bhavan, Vice President's Residence, Jawahar Bhavan, Nirman Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan and Raksha Bhavan.

The entire project is expected to be completed by 2024.