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Vista Parking in Delhi
June 23, 2007
The Once shimmering emerald lawns and blue pools flanking Rajpath,
known as the Central Vista are proposed to be restored to their
green glory. But along with this new plan of the Central Public
Works Department come controversial parking lots in the heritage
area.
Fresh grass cover and jamun trees of even shape and size in the
original alignment planned by Edwin Landseer Lutyens will replace
the shabby lawns and the twisted trees that currently disfigure
the look of the Rastrapati Bhavan and the Secretariat blocks. But
the parking lots proposed on the edges of the Central Vista along
the boundary walls of Udyog Bhavan and Nirman Bhavan on one side
and Krishi Bhavan, Shastri Bhavan, Indira
Gandhi National Centre for Arts and Raksha Bhavan on the other,
have caused concern among conservationists.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) that was earlier in charge
of the Central Vista had similar plans. IT had proposed surface
parking. Along the compound walls of government buildings, but landscape
experts and conservationists severely criticized the plan. The CPWD
now proposes ‘depressed parking lots for 700-800 cars along
the same stretch.
Director General of CPWD, Amarnath Chakrabarti, when disclosing
the plan on Tuesday, said that new landscape, pathways, bridge over
the water channels, public facilities like toilets, street furniture,
souvenir and picture card shops are part of the new development
plan. “The major improvement in this area shall be the provision
of depressed parking bays to cater to the parking of cars and two-wheelers
along the Central Vista buildings,” Chakrabarti said.
Mansinh M. Rana, the Patron of Lutyens Trust and former chief architect
of CPWD, criticized the proposed parking lot, saying it will nibble
into the green space that is declared heritage precinct. “I
have studied Lutyens’ plan for New Delhi is considerable detail
and had suggested that the large, open parking space inside the
compound walls of Shastri Bhavan, nirman Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, etc.
should be converted into multi-level underground parking
lots with success to the lawns. To my mind, it is the only solution
to the parking problem,” the senior architect, who has designed
Shanti Vana and Buddha Jayanti Park, said. He pointed out that the
‘metro’ parking created near the Rail Bhavan has disfigured
the Central Vista and said that more damage should be checked to
save this heritage green space that is the showpiece of Lutyens’
Delhi.
Architect Pradeep Sachdeva, who designed the Garden
of Five Senses and Dilli
Haat, also said that car parks should not be created at the
cost of heritage green space. “Surely some piece of land can
be found away from the Central Vista. Even it is an expensive option,
it should be explored to save the green space. Otherwise it is better
to organize the current parking space along the road in a more regulated
way. It should not be haphazard, free-for-all parking that we see
now,” Sachdeva said.
Source: Hindustan Times
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