Rajpath to reopen to public with new look after 20 months

‘Vendors will be restricted to vending zones behind lawns’

When Rajpath reopens for public next week after a 20-month gap, the visitors will get to see a revamped Central Vista Avenue, including new amenity blocks and dedicated vending zones that will replace the ice-cream carts and other street vendors that used to line the road.

According to Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry officials on Saturday, the new look of the 2-km Central Vista Avenue, which stretches from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan, was likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8, after which it would be open to public the next day.

The redevelopment of the popular public space in the heart of the Capital started after the Republic Day parade in 2021 and was supposed to be completed by November last year. Though it missed the deadline, Rajpath was readied for the parade on January 26 this year. After the parade, the work resumed, while Rajpath remained closed for the public.

Among the additions to the area would be five vending zones behind the India Gate lawns with space for 40 vendors each, which would include a few ice-cream carts, according to a senior official. Earlier, the ice-cream carts, toy-sellers and other street food vendors would be lined up along Rajpath. In addition, two zones on either side of India Gate would have eight stalls each. These, sources familiar with the development, said would have street food from 16 states, which were being selected by Delhi Tourism. A source said Delhi Tourism was trying to have a few of these stalls ready for the inauguration, with the rest being opened later.

Picnics would not be allowed on the lawns in the stretch from India Gate until Mansingh Road, while areas behind the lawns had been opened to the public with addition of 16 permanent bridges over the canals, officials said. Eight amenity blocks with toilets, kiosks and drinking water as well as parking lots for a total of 1,100 vehicles would be available in the spaces beyond the canals. Boating would be allowed in the two canals behind Krishi Bhawan and Vanjiya Bhawan, an official said.

The first month after the reopening would see heavy police presence in view of the anticipated large numbers of visitors, the senior official said. Around 50 security guards, 300 CCTV cameras and a control room for the police would also be in place, the official said.