The 9-feet statue of Govind Ballabh Pant inside Parliament premises has been temporarily relocated and the statue of Motilal Nehru will be moved in the next two-three days to make way for the construction of the new building. Meanwhile, the Central Public Works Department has put the central vista redevelopment design in public domain and has sought views and objections till January 31.

Earlier this week, the Central Public Works Department had shifted the 16-feet bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi to a spot between Gate 2 and 3 of the Parliament. The construction work of the new Parliament building started on January 15 after the Heritage Conservation Committee gave its approval to the ambitious project under the Central Vista redevelopment plan.

“The statue of Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant has been temporarily relocated by the CPWD. The statue of Motilal Nehru, which is also coming in the way of construction of the new building, will also be moved in the next two-three days,” official sources said. They said the statues being moved temporarily will be shifted to a prominent location once the construction completes. There is also a statue of  B R Ambedkar which will be moved temporarily, they said.

The new parliament building will have a triangular shape and is expected to be completed by the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022. The Government plans to hold the monsoon session of Parliament in 2022 in the new building. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the new building, being constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, on December 10 last year. The project is estimated to cost Rs 971 crore.

Besides the new Parliament building, the redevelopment of the Central Vista — the nation’s power corridor —envisages a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new prime minister’s residence and prime minister’s office, and a new Vice-President Enclave.