Central Vista is criminal wastage: Rahul Gandhi tells govt to put people's lives at centre

File Photo (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (May 7, 2021) criticised the central government for going ahead with the central vista project, saying the government should put people's lives at the centre amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi wrote, "Central Vista is criminal wastage. Put people's lives at the centre- not your blind arrogance to get a new house!"

Central Vista is criminal wastage.

Put people’s lives at the centre- not your blind arrogance to get a new house! — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 7, 2021

Earlier also, Gandhi had slammed the government over the central vista project and said that the amount could be used for fully vaccinating 45 crore Indians or for procuring one crore oxygen cylinders.

"Rs 13450 crores for Central Vista. Or, for fully vaccinating 45 crore Indians. Or, for 1 crore oxygen cylinders. Or, to give 2 crore families NYAY of Rs 6000. But, Prime Minister’s ego is bigger than people's lives," Gandhi said in a tweet.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a petition to stay the construction work of the central government’s Central Vista project amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The petition moved by Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi has asked the apex court to suspend all construction activity of the Central Vista Avenue Redevelopment Project in compliance with orders issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority during the subsistence of the peak phase of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Supreme Court has said that "we will see it." However, the top court has not given any date for hearing the matter.

The construction of the Rs 20,000 crore project in the national capital has been brought under the ambit of "essential services'' by the central government.