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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Center to file an affidavit on the issue of proposed change in land use of the plot where the new official residences of the Vice President and Prime Minister are scheduled as part of the ambitious Central Vista project in Lutyens. Delhi.
The Central Vista reform, announced in September 2019, envisages a new triangular parliament building with a seating capacity of 900 to 1,200 MPs, to be constructed by August 2022, when the country celebrates its 75th Independence Day.
The common central secretariat is likely to be constructed by 2024 under the project covering a distance of 3 km from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate in the national capital.
The top court was hearing a petition challenging the conversion of land use of plot number one from a recreation area to a residential area.
The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar, which asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Centre, to file a brief affidavit on the issue.
The counsel appearing for the petitioner submitted that as far as the change of land use from recreational to residential for the plot is concerned, the authorities have not shown any public interest.
Mehta told the bench that the official residences of the Vice President and the Prime Minister are earmarked on the plot.
Therefore, the public recreation area is no longer available, the bench asked Mehta, whether the public recreation area is being shifted to some other place or is being shifted to some other plot.
Mehta said the entertainment area could be shifted but also cited security concerns as Parliament would be set up there.
What is your stand, we would like to know about it, the bench said.
I would have to take instructions, Mehta said, given that Parliament and other things would be coming nearby, it would not be possible to have a recreation area in the vicinity from the security point of view.
The bench asked whether it would like to file a brief affidavit on the limited point raised in the matter.
Mehta said he would file the affidavit within three days.
The bench said that the respondents (Centre and others) may file a short affidavit within three days from today to settle the dispute, including justifying the need for amendment, the bench said and will hear the matter on October 29. posted for.
In January this year, the apex court had held by a 2:1 majority that the notification of environmental clearance and change in land use for the construction of a new Parliament building under the project was valid.
The apex court’s decision came on several petitions, including those against various permissions granted to the project by authorities, including environment clearance and change in land use.
The top court had in June this year dismissed a separate petition challenging the order of the Delhi High Court, which had sought to stop the Central Vista construction work in view of the COVID pandemic.
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