New Delhi : Delhi's Central Vista Avenue (CVA) which wears an all-new look is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8, according to sources. The renovated CVA at Rajpath with all modern public usage facilities will be open for public after 20 months from September 9 onwards. Sources also revealed that the government was keen on renaming the historic Rajpath and the CVA as 'Kartavya Path'.
The government has decided to rename the historic Rajpath and central vista lawns in New Delhi as 'Kartavya Path'. "Government of India to rename New Delhi's historic Rajpath and Central Vista lawns as 'Kartavya Path'," a source said.
The sources said that New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has convened a special meeting on September 7 with the objective of renaming the Rajpath and Central Vista lawns as Kartavya Path. Rajpath was formerly known as Kingsway. It is the celebrated venue of the Republic Day parade every year and stretches through Vijay Chowk to India Gate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech this year, had given 'panch pran' (five vows) call to citizens during 'Azadi Ka AmritKaal' and one of the resolves was "duty of the citizens". He had also stressed on the abolition of symbols relating to colonial mindset. Both these factors can be seen behind the naming of 'Kartavya Path'.
"The major objective of such project was to provide amenities that make it comfortable for civic users and tourists. It also provides space and facilities for vendors. The project also aims to ensure that arrangements for national events cause minimal disruption of daily life in the national capital," a senior official from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) said.
The renovated CVA extending for 2 km long had retained the original 74 historic light poles. All related chain links have been restored, upgraded and reinstalled on site. We have also installed 900 new light poles wherever necessary to ensure that the space is always safe for visitors, the official said.
MoHUA official said concrete bollards have been replaced with thousands of white sandstone bollards to maintain the precinct's historical character, while 16.5 kms of pedestrian walkways have been added along the Rajpath and at the India Gate precinct and 19 acres of total canal area have been renovated.
Green cover
"The CVA also boasts of 101 acres of lawns which have been replanted with different species of grass, appropriate to the location. Proper slopes and drain channels have been integrated to minimise the damage caused by stagnant water, if any. Original jamun trees have been preserved. Apart from this, all existing trees have been surveyed and catalogued by the Ministry," the official said.
New amenities
The official revealed that eight amenity blocks with toilets, vending kiosks, and drinking water fountains have been added at eight distinct locations along the avenue. A total of 64 female toilets, 32 male toilets, and 10 accessible toilets have been added. As many as 7 organizanised vending plazas have also been added at different locations, he said.
The official said that 4 new pedestrian underpasses have been built at busy junctions to segregate vehicular traffic from pedestrian movement, making the street safe for pedestrians to cross. The redevelopment of the CVA started in January last year with a proposed timeline having November 2021 to complete the project. "The Covid19 pandemic threw spanners on the construction pace. However, we did not halt the project. Here we are now ready for the inauguration," the official said.
The renovation of the CVA is part of the envisaged redevelopment project. The renovation was carried out at a cost of Rs 477 crore. The redevelopment project also includes construction of a new Parliament building at an estimated costs of Rs 862.
