Central Vista construction: Centre hits back at Congress accusing it of hypocrisy

Central Vista construction: Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has hit back at the Congress for raising fingers over the ongoing Central Vista construction work. Notably, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has termed the Central Vista a criminal wastage. “Put people’s lives at the centre- not your blind arrogance to get a new house!” he said in a tweet today.

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Puri said that Congress’s discourse on Central Vista is bizarre as the Government of India has allocated much more than the project’s amount for vaccination. “Cost of Central Vista is about Rs 20,000 crore, over several years. GoI has allocated nearly twice that amount for vaccination! India’s healthcare budget for just this year was over Rs 3 lakh crore. We know our priorities,” he said.

Congress’s discourse on Central Vista is bizarre.
Cost of Central Vista is about ₹20,000 crore, over several years.

GoI has allocated nearly twice that amount for vaccination! India’s healthcare budget for just this year was over ₹3 lakh crore. We know our priorities. pic.twitter.com/uNlnxv7s58

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 7, 2021

He said that there are hundreds of projects being executed by various department and the governance hasn’t come to a standstill, unlike the Congress’s times of policy paralysis.

“Central Vista is just another ongoing project. It’s only the Congress that’s obsessed about it, nobody else. Moreover, only projects for New Parliament Building & rejuvenation of Central Vista Avenue have been awarded at an estimated cost of Rs 862 crore & Rs 477 crore respectively till now. As I said, there are many components in Central Vista project which are spread over several years,” he said in a series of tweets.

Puri said that the Congress want to distract people from monumental governance failures in their states by spreading lies. “So they indulge in cheap politics despite knowing this project creates direct & indirect employment for thousands of skilled, semi-skilled & unskilled workers in these times,” he said.

The minister added that while the Central Vista is not a new project, the Congress has no problem with the reconstruction of the MLA hostel in Maharashtra and the new assembly building in Chhattisgarh.

“While Central Vista is not new, see Congress’ hypocrisy. Congress & its allies are splurging on a new project reconstructing an MLA hostel in Maharashtra & building a new Legislative Assembly building in Chhattisgarh. If this is fine, what is the problem with Central Vista?…Congress doesn’t stop at hypocrisy. Look at their shameful double face. During UPA, Congress leaders wrote about the need for a new parliament. The Speaker in 2012 wrote a letter to Urban Development Ministry for the same. And now they have the gall to oppose the same project?” he said.

The BJP has alleged a Rs 300 crore scam in the redevelopment of Manora MLA hostel in south Mumbai, citing that the project cost had increased by 66 per cent in two years. In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, BJP legislator Atul Bhatkalkar demanded to know why the contract for redeveloping the hostel at Rs 600 crore was scrapped and reworked at Rs 900 crore.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today refused to entertain a plea against deferment of hearing on a PIL seeking direction to halt construction work of the Central Vista Project. It, however, gave liberty to petitioners to approach the Delhi High Court for urgent listing of the matter.