Revamped Central Vista Avenue In Delhi Will Be Open To Public From September 09, 2022

One of the most visited tourist places in Delhi - the Central Vista Avenue, which extends from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to the India Gate recently underwent a redevelopment programme to offer better facilities such as, pedestrian underpasses, wide footpaths, new parking lots, greener space and many more. It is used for Republic Day Parade of our nation and various other ceremonial functions which showcase the nation’s capital to the world.

The Avenue that is located near the Raisina Hill, comprises of 3 km long tree-lined stretch from the Viceroy’s House to the All India War Memorial, flanked by green spaces and water channels. Post-Independence, the Central Vista Avenue streets were renamed as: King’s Way became Rajpath and Queen’s Way became Janpath. The Viceroy’s House came to be known as Rashtrapati Bhavan and the All India War Memorial was renamed the India Gate. These iconic buildings in the Central Vista stand apart as exemplary monuments of the Republic of India.

Although the original stretch of the Central Vista Avenue has evolved over the years, but somehow the essential facilities have degraded over the years due to which public spaces and facilities like pathways had become stressed and unusable. Since this Avenue hosts the Republic Day Parade, it is imperative to for the space to provide minimal restriction on public movement and less damage to the landscape on an annual scale.

Some of the issues faced before the redevelopment of the space were:

• The iconic stretch of Rajpath was plagued by heavy traffic during peak traffic hours.

• Current civic amenities are stressed due to public overuse.

• The Republic Day Parade needed better arrangement for less disruption of traffic.

• Crumbling pathways, busy road junctions make it non-pedestrian friendly.

• Inadequate facilities for vendors that causes inconvenience.

• Excessive use of land, waste generation and public congestion on the Avenue had led to land and water pollution.

The tender for the redevelopment was awarded in January 2021 which was required to complete within 300 days. The “Bhoomi Pujan” was performed by the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri on the 4th of February 2021. The revamped Central Vista Avenue will be inaugurated by our Prime Minister on September 08, 2022 and will be open for public from September 09, 2022.

Some changes that the revamping has brought about:

• Increase in lawn space and restoration of green spaces from 3,50,000 sq. meters to 3,90,000 sq. meters.

• Improved space for National events with introduction of multi-utility and modern facilities.

• Better and improved facilities for civic users and tourists.

• Transit Plaza as pedestrian friendly underpass is being developed to accommodate the citizen footfall in an efficient manner.

• Well-defined parking spaces for visitors and tourists.

• Designated space for vending to ensure decongestion and convenient access to visitors.

• Beautification of the space with stepped gardens and refurbished canals.

Tourism across the country is slowly getting back on its feet and with upgrades in places that attract a lot of tourists all-round the year, developed facilities are a must to ensure convenience to domestic and international tourists and visitors. But it remains to be seen if these amenities are maintained at regular intervals.

Only time will tell!

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