While there is a case for having a landmark project ready in time for India’s 75th Independence Day, initiating it when we are fighting the virus makes it ill-timed
Recently, Kamal Haasan, chief of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the construction of the new Parliament building. He asked Modi to explain the rationale behind the project worth hundreds of crores at a time when millions are going hungry and the nation is reeling under the socio-economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The actor-turned-politician is not the first public figure to question the Central Vista Redevelopment project. Earlier this year, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, too, wrote a letter to Modi urging him to suspend it. However, this is not the only pet project of the Prime Minister (PM) which has been questioned. Modi’s ambitious bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad had faced resistance, too. Many Opposition leaders and parties had criticised it. Some experts like E Sreedharan — the man behind the Delhi Metro —slammed the project for being highly expensive and designed to cater only to the elite. In his view, what India needs is a modern, clean, safe and fast rail system that caters to the masses and not just to the privileged.
The same happened when the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity, was built and inaugurated. Some critics argued that the `3,000 crore spent on building the statue could have been put to more productive use. This makes one think, has the Modi Government been so inefficient in its use of public resources? Is it so insensitive to the criticism coming from not just political leaders but also experts? Or is there something that these politicians and experts are missing in Modi’s larger vision and purpose behind these pet projects?
The Modi Government’s track record on infrastructure projects doesn’t seem to suggest that it has been inefficient in the use of public money. For example, the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway project that was stalled for years was completed under the NDA Government’s watch. Similarly, the Modi Government brought many other stalled projects to fruition. Indeed, some of its own projects have been completed before time and with less than allocated budgets.
The nearly $17 billion bullet train project is one of Modi’s pet projects. There is no doubt that it is expensive and will not benefit the people from the lower income group, initially. But if one thinks of it objectively, the bullet train project is not such a bad idea. The majority of the project’s funding (nearly 90 per cent) is coming as a soft loan from the Government of Japan. The loan is to be repaid over a 50-year period with a moratorium of 15 years. Not only are the loan terms quite attractive but the project will also have huge spillover benefits for the Indian Railways, which badly needs modernisation.
Most of these benefits will take the form of the transfer of knowledge and technology. With high-speed connectivity, the project is supposed to connect the bustling economic corridors of Gujarat and Maharashtra and facilitate economic growth. It is also expected to create job opportunities on a large scale. Those who are critical of this project need to examine it in a larger context.
What holds true for the Indian Railways, also holds true for city metros. Given the speed at which Indian towns and cities are expanding, the country will probably need several new metros. Recently, the PM inaugurated the Agra Metro Project in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The benefits of having a rapid mass urban transit system that is also environment friendly can’t be overemphasised.
Similarly, the Statue of Unity built in the honour of Sardar Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and a statesman, is a landmark created to attract both domestic and international tourists. It is expected to have a huge spillover benefit for the local economy. Likewise, many tourist spots across the country are being developed and promoted. The revenue potential of the Statue of Unity project must be looked at against this backdrop. Indeed, the promotion of travel and tourism has been high on Modi’s agenda to take India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the $5 trillion mark by 2025. These pet projects of Modi will contribute towards fulfilling this aspiration.
Unfortunately, travel and tourism is one of the worst hit sectors because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. But this is only a temporary setback and the sector will bounce back soon enough as “revenge tourism” has already started in the country and globally, too. The cost of these projects needs to be evaluated against their benefits, in totality, to get a full account of their worth.
However, as far as the Central Vista project is concerned there is a little difference. The redevelopment project envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat and revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
However, in the current scenario when the health of citizens has assumed top priority and the economic fallout of the pandemic needs urgent attention, the Central Vista project may look a little flamboyant. Further, some experts have raised red flags on its environmental impact. For these and related reasons, multiple petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court. Pending the apex court’s decision, no new construction or demolition activity can take place on this project. According to some experts, the project spells disaster for the environment and indigenous bird and plant species that stand to be dislocated and destroyed.
The Supreme Court has rebuked the Centre and ordered the Government to halt all construction activities until it decides on a bunch of petitions challenging the mega redevelopment plan. On the other hand, having world-class facilities for the efficient functioning of the administration of the country, merits a project like this.
Further, having an architectural icon may be consistent with the image of a rising India and its “atmanirbharta (self-reliance).” But the timing of the project is both good and bad. While there is a case for having the project ready when India commemorates its 75th year of Independence, initiating the project when the world is fighting the Coronavirus pandemic makes it ill-timed.
Needless to say, the Government has accorded top priority to fighting the pandemic. Those who have been closely following the NDA Government’s response to the pandemic would know the kind of attention, energy, and effort the NDA Government has put into it. Even so, it has not let other development activities come to a halt. Every other day, the Centre has been launching several new development projects. It is trying to convert the current crisis into an opportunity to put India on a high growth trajectory. It has been agile to usher in reforms to promote growth and development and to make India “atmanirbhar” in many aspects. Nevertheless, the Modi Government would do well to invite greater discussion and debate on the Central Vista project as several Delhiites feel it will take away their wide, open spaces and alter the look of their beloved city.
Kamal Haasan is too smart to be ignorant of the larger picture. By being critical of Modi and questioning him, the star seems to be trying to gain some publicity. But the truth remains that the Central Vista project should be made into a people’s project. The Government must take the citizens along with it.
(The writer is a development economist and author. The views expressed are personal.)
