The Tourism Ministry of India has recently announced that its current office located in Transport Bhawan, Parliament Street, Delhi, will be shifted to a building near the historical India Gate. The shifts will come into effect soon as Transport Bhawan needs to be vacated to make room for the Central Vista Redevelopment Project. Apart from the Tourism Ministry, the building currently houses some other major governmental offices such as that of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
The project of re-construction of Central Vista comprises of building a new triangular Parliament building, a shared common Central Secretariat, revamping the three-kilometer long Rajpath, a new Prime Minister’s residence and office, and a building for Vice-President. The new Parliament building is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
The Jodhpur Officers’ Hostel barracks near the India Gate Hexagon will become the new home of the office. The Transport Bhawan was inaugurated in 1965 by the then Information and Broadcasting Minister Indira Gandhi. The Tourism Ministry has been allotted eight blocks in its premises.
The Central Vista Oversight Committee, responsible for overseeing the whole process of redevelopment has also set up its office in the barracks. The Transport Bhawan is not the only government building which needs to be vacated for the Central Vista project as the Yaad-e-Nau complex, which houses the Shastri Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, also needs to be shifted to make room for the project.
The Transport Bhawan and Yaad-e-Nau complex have been deemed as a location pivotal to the national life of the country and as such needs to be preserved for such use in the future. This is why the relocation of the offices to another building is vital to ensure that the Central Vista project can take place while preserving the heritage of India.
The prospects of the Central Vista redevelopment project provides a great new opportunity for India. It is expected to play a major role in facilitating improved public outcomes, such as bringing development to the centre of the nation’s life. By the end of this redevelopment, India is expected to have even more to be proud of, both from a structural and a heritage viewpoint.
The Tourism Ministry’s move to the new building near India Gate is a step towards achieving the desired outcomes of the Central Vista project. It symbolizes the authority of the government in preserving the cultural heritage of the country, while expanding the use of these sites to meet current needs. It will be interesting to see how the development of this project progresses and how the nation eventually benefits from it.
