New Delhi: Gujarat based HCP design, planning and project private limited has been chosen as the architectural consultant for the ambitious redevelopment of the Parliament building in the national capital.
"The contract has been awarded at a cost of Rs 229.7 crore much below the estimated Rs 448 crore," Urban Development Minister, Hardeep Puri said.
The HCP architectural firm had earlier worked for Gujarat's Sabarmati Riverfront Project which had raised a major controversy over the cleaning of the river.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said that HCP Pvt. Ltd. has emerged the highest across among five other consultants who had also participated in the technical bids.
Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has awarded the consultancy work with a specific timeline to complete the work.
The timeline for completing the central vista project (from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate) is November 2021 and work on Parliament building is to be completed by March 2022 and the common central secretariat by March 2024.
"The aim is to improve the old buildings on Raisina Hills, make improved common secretariat buildings, refurbish old Parliament building, make new space for the requirement of MPs and upgrade the entire central vista area by revisiting the master plan," said CPWD director general Prabhakar Singh to ETV Bharat.
Officials in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs believe that over a period of above 100 years after the conceptualization of building on Raisina Hills and adjoining to Rajpath, the requirement has now increased manifold.
These buildings designed earlier are not able to provide enough space, amenities and comfort requirements.
"There is a scarcity of space in the present Parliament building. Visitors keep coming to the central vista from India and abroad and there is an urgent need to improve the beauty of central vista to make it a world-class tourist attraction point," officials in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said.
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