PM Modi unveils Central Vista Project's 'Kartavya Path'

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kartavya Path

PM Narendra Modi, after unveiling Netaji statue and inaugurating Kartavya Path, said "India gets new energy, inspiration today"

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's statue was sourced from the Telangana quarry

A monolithic block of granite weighing 280 metric tonne from which the just-unveiled grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has been carved out, was sourced from a quarry in Telangana and a stretch of "makeshift road" had to be built to transport the stone to a national highway for sending it to Delhi.

A 100-ft-long truck with 140 wheels was specially designed for this giant stone to be ferried from Khammam in Telangana to the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi, covering a distance of 1,665 km.

A team of sculptors spent 26,000 man-hours of "intense artistic endeavour" to carve the grand statue of Bose. The entire sculpture work was done at the NGMA. The raw stone block was brought from Khammam in Telangana, a senior official of the Culture Ministry said.

The granite monolith was chiselled to produce a statue weighing 65 MT, but bringing it to Delhi was not an easy task.

The unveiling of the statue of Netaji was accompanied by the tune of Kadam Kadam Badhayeja, the traditional INA song.

(With inputs from PTI)

Arial images from the Revamped Central Vista event

Central Vista project workers to get invite for next year's Republic Day Parade

PM Modi met the workers involved in redevelopment work of Central Vista avenue. Modi also promised to invite them to the 2023 Republic Day Parade held in national capital New Delhi.

PM Modi pays tribute to Netaji; unveils the statue of Subhash Chandra Bose

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at the revamped Kartavya Path.

PM to unveil statue of Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate, see pics

Central Vista inauguration: 10 things to know about the opening of Kartavya Path

Central Vista inauguration: Delhi Police has issued alerts on traffic and bus diversions for the day. The DTC has also been asked to offer 'park and ride' facilities from certain points.

Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited have executed the redevelopment of the entire stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate. The project was tendered at Rs 477 crore. The CPWD has set up five vending zones where 40 vendors each will be allowed and two blocks near the India Gate with eight shops each. Some states have shown their interest to set up their food stalls.

However, to date, only two projects, the New Parliament Building with the tendered cost of Rs 862 crore and the Redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue with the tendered cost of Rs 477 crore have been awarded and works are underway. Expenditure incurred on these two projects till March 2021 is Rs 195 crore and the budget provision for 2021-22 is Rs 790 crore.

Around Rs 20,000 crore is estimated to cover all the planned development/ redevelopment works. The actual cost of the other projects which are part of the Central Vista Development/Redevelopment Master Plan will be known after detailed project reports are prepared for each of these projects.

Testimony to the spirit of 'Make in India'

Central Vista Project, a wider scheme to transform the face of Delhi’s Lutyens area, is testimony to the spirit of ‘Make in India’, claims the government of India. The move is part of a continuous and conscious effort by the prime minister to shed the baggage of colonial legacy and colonial symbols and replace those with Indian traditions and strategic thought, said the government. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in several phases by 2026.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), in a statement, said, that over the years, Rajpath and adjoining areas of Central Vista Avenue had been witnessing pressure of increasing traffic of visitors, putting stress on its infrastructure. It lacked basic amenities like public toilets, drinking water, street furniture and adequate parking space.

Further, there was inadequate signage, poor maintenance of water features and haphazard parking, PMO highlighted. "The redevelopment has been done bearing these concerns in mind while also ensuring the integrity and continuity of architectural character," it added.

The revamped avenue, which is part of the larger Central Vista Redevelopment project, also includes a new Parliament building that is expected to be functional later this year, the building of a Common Central Secretariat, new buildings for the IGNCA, official residences for the Vice President and the Prime Minister, relocation of National Museum in North & South Block.