Govt says Central Vista project cost increased; cites inflation, rise in GST
Also, Union minister Tokhan Sahu said the revised completion date of the Common Central Secretariat buildings is running a year later than the original one.
Union minister of state Tokhan Sahu on Thursday confirmed a cost escalation in the construction of the vice president’s enclave and the new Parliament building — part of the Central Vista project in the heart of Delhi — and listed out four reasons for the same.
Sahu, the minister of state for the Union minister of housing and urban minister, gave the details in response to a question by Trinamool Congress MP Mala Roy in Parliament.
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The minister cited increase in GST from 12% to 18%, price hike in steel, cement and rise of workers’ wages, additional security measures and variations in view of design of structure according to Earthquake zone V for the Parliament building as reasons for the cost escalation.
Sahu also said that the revised completion date of the upcoming Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings is running a year later than the original completion date.
“The development and redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue, the New Parliament Building, and the Vice President Enclave have been completed. The construction of CCS-1, 2 & 3 and CCS-10 are currently ongoing, with the estimated completion dates of May 2025 and April 2026, respectively,” Sahu said on Thursday.
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Notably, in the 2025-26 budget released last Saturday, allocation for non-residential general pool accommodation under which central vista projects are carried out saw a 41% hike to ₹2,922.56 crore from the revised estimate of 2024-25 at ₹2,076.90 crore.
The Central Vista overhaul, conceived in 2019 and considered a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create a legacy free from colonial influence, is currently facing multiple delays and changes in plans. The original scheduled completion date of the first three CCS buildings was in November 2023. Similarly, the new Parliament building and the VP enclave were also delayed by more than a year while the entire Central Vista overhaul was to be completed by March 2024.