New Delhi: A group of former civil servants have written an open letter to Prime Minster Narendra Modi expressing dismay over the central vista redevelopment project, which, they alleged, has been “marked by a degree of executive highhandedness” from its very inception.
The 69 retired bureaucrats, under the aegis of Constitutional Conduct Group, claimed that the country’s public health infrastructure was crying out for investment and asked why this “wasteful and unnecessary project must take precedence over social priorities like health and education”.
The signatories included former IAS officers Jawhar Sircar, Jawed Usmani, N C Saxena, Aruna Roy, Harsh Mander and Rahul Khullar, and former IPS officers A S Dulat, Amitabh Mathur and Julio Ribeiro.
“Notwithstanding the specious reasoning as to why a new Parliament building is at all necessary, it is a matter of great dismay that at a time when we are faced with an economy in perilous decline and a pandemic which has brought untold misery to millions, the government has chosen to invest vast sums on a project which represents nothing but the pursuit of pomp and grandeur,” they said.
The central vista redevelopment project in the heart of the national capital envisages construction of a new Parliament complex, government buildings for central ministries, a new enclave for the vice president and a new prime minister’s office and residence among others.
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which is executing the project, has revised its estimated cost from Rs 11,794 crore to Rs 13,450 crore.
“We are writing to you today to convey our dismay at the manner in which your government, and you, as its head, have chosen to completely disregard the rule of law in the matter of the Central Vista Redevelopment project. This project, from its very inception, has been marked by a degree of executive highhandedness rarely witnessed before,” alleged the letter.
“Of particular concern is the manner in which environmental clearances were obtained for a plan which treats the green spaces and the built heritage of the central vista as an unnecessary hurdle to the achievement of objectives driven by monumental ambition,” it further alleged.
The former civil servants also wondered what locus standi the prime minister has to lay the foundation stone of the Parliament building.
“The prime minister is the head of the executive, not of the legislature. For a building that will accommodate the two Houses of Parliament, the appropriate protocol would have been for the President of India to lay the foundation stone. This was a clear instance of breach of constitutional propriety,” the letter alleged.
Modi had on December 10 laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building.
The signatories also alleged “brazen impropriety” in going ahead with the construction of the new Parliament building while the matter is still sub judice.
Also read: Modi’s Central Vista project has a history-shaped hole in it
A very powerful letter, summarizing most of what is wrong with this Govt. Modi is a man driven only by vanity and self importance. Just look at his favourite projects – one largest statue, one Sri Ram Mandir, one bullet train, one Central Vista. Nothing for the people, especially the poor and indigent, migrants, social outcasts, labourers or farmers, the worryingly large number of undernourished, those hit hardest by economic slowdown and pandemic. He is up there in the clouds with his favoured ‘Wealth Creators’. If he thinks he has cemented his place in history by these monuments to himself, he is very much mistaken. He will be where he deserves to be and where all such megalomaniacs ultimately end up – in the dustbin.
did you write this article ? …… befits you and the junk of a news medium that published this letter …….
Again the cabal of irrelevant retired liberals writing open letter. This cabal opposes any change made by this government. The government has been chosen by Indians in full majority and they have faith in their government. If this cabal want to take decision then why don’t they start their own party and win the elections and have their way democratically but of course they have no faith in democracy and according to them the decisions should be made on streets and not in Parliament or Supreme Court.
What’s civil about these servants. Almost all them are nothing but pencil headed dimwits who have the organizational capability of a kangaroo and spent their career only making notings on files.
Have you seen a typical govt office?? Dirty, filthy places with files and dust all over, toilets so dirty that you can smell them a 1000 Km away. Also see the dilapidated condition of complexes where these pencil heads stay, absolutely and embarrassingly filthy.
When they can’t even keep their place of work and where they live clean, they have no right to give any comments or object to the new plans made by this govt
Well said. The government offices in India are disgusting, with pan stains and people spitting wherever they like. India is a democracy, even if 100 civil servants say it’s waste of money they should not stop. This is not the first time our civil servants has given such suggestions. There are many civil servants who put similar comments such as
Why India needs space program
Why do we need defense force etc. etc
They want India to look dirty rundown.
When a large population of the country is living below poverty line and pandemic has recently further strained the economy, beautification should be the last concern.
Priority should be poverty, hunger alleviation and improvement in healthcare and education.
The existing Parliament building and Lutyen’s Delhi is a nice place by any standards and minor shortcomings can be easily taken care through renovation.
The reference to flies and filth might be regarding a Govt. office in a remote location but this area is already pristine!
India can never look beautiful through such patch works. Till the living conditions of people is improved and everyone is healthy, educated and affluent these patches will be mere patches.