Democratise New Delhi

Redevelopment plans for Lutyens' Delhi should go far enough

The government is seriously considering a far-reaching overhaul of New Delhi’s “Central Vista”, the ceremonial and official area leading from India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill. This area includes not just the old princes’ buildings around the India Gate hexagon, but also the heritage buildings of the Central Secretariat, Sir Herbert Baker’s Parliament House, and the post-Independence “general purpose office accommodations” such as Udyog Bhavan and Shastri Bhavan. The area also includes barracks converted into permanent office buildings, some dating from the Second World War. The government’s aim, according to reports quoting a proposal from the Central