After drawing criticism for razing lush green lawns at the Rajpath, the Central government’s ambitious Central Vista project is now set to demolish 3 iconic buildings – the National Museum, National Archives (Annex building) and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts.
As per a report by NDTV, other buildings that will be razed off as a part of the ₹20,000 crore project include Shastri Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Vigyan Bhavan, Vice-President’s residence, Jawahar Bhavan, Nirman Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan and the Raksha Bhavan.
The total area to be demolished is estimated to be 4,58,820 square metres.
The prized items like original coins, paintings, sculptures and jewellery currently housed in the National Museum will apparently be moved either to the North Block or South Block. These objects are of cultural significance to our country.
While the main building of the National Archives will remain intact, the Annexe building will be demolished. It has a huge collection of rare manuscripts and files from Indian history.
Artists are concerned that any careless handling of these precious documents might lead to irrevocable damage and loss.
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts houses one of the finest libraries in India. All its content, including heritage material, will be temporarily shifted to the Janpath Hotel.
Around 80 historians, artists and public intellectuals, like Romila Thapar and Gayatri Spivak have written a letter to PM Modi asking him to reconsider the redevelopment project as it can cause irreparable damage to Indian heritage.
This is how netizens are reacting to the news.
With these heritage buildings being demolisehd, a part of our history will be lost forever.