The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, approved the proposal of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) to redevelop Pragati Maidan into a world class Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) at a cost of ₹2,254 crore.
Two phases planned
The redevelopment project is envisaged in two phases. The first phase is expected to be competed by May 2019, and will be capable of hosting global conferences and exhibitions.
The decision to redevelop Pragati Maidan has been taken as the facilities at present fall short of international standards.
Opposition to plan
It has also been proposed that to ease road congestion, a flyover will be built at the junction of Mathura Road and Bhairon Road and there will be a subway connecting Mathura Road to Ring Road across Pragati Maidan.
The redevelopment project has been opposed by various sections as the plan proposes to bring down two iconic buildings -- the ‘Hall of Nations’ and the ‘Nehru Pavilion’ -- at the Pragati Maidan.
The two structures were designed by famed architect Raj Rewal and constructed in 1972.
Letters in support
They represented India’s first “modern” architecture and architects and historians feel they should be preserved for posterity.
Letters in support of preserving the structures had been written by the curator of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, curator of Pompidou Centre (Paris), president of Union of International Architects, and president of the Architects Regional Council Asia to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, requesting for these ‘architectural masterpieces’ to be preserved.
‘Architectural heritage’
Commenting on the project, architect Raj Rewal had told The Hindu that “these structures will be lost forever, which is very serious. It is not only nationally important, but is also part of international architectural heritage. A structure like this is unique in its own way.”
He had said that the structures may be 40 years old, but with some renovation they can last for another 200 years.
The Indian National Trust for art and Cultural Heritage had also in a plea in court said that buildings like the Hall of Nations and the Nehru Pavilion at Pragati Maidan are part of "modern heritage" and need to be protected.
Appeals made
The Indian Institute of Architects had also made several appeals to the government to save the buildings, which it had described as “testimony to the nation's prowess in structural engineering and architecture”.
