The full panel of three justices of the Supreme Court of India caused controversy in India on the 5th with a “2:1” vote, through a series of infrastructure plans proposed by the government called “Vision Project”.
According to the Times of India on the 6th, the plan includes the construction of a new parliament building, which the Supreme Court calls “extremely political significance”. However, the Supreme Court also euphemistically said in its ruling that in the absence of constitutional authorization, the Supreme Court does not have the power to challenge or guide the government’s development decisions.
The Guardian reported that since the introduction of the Vision Project, it has been facing criticism from civil society groups, environmentalists and politicians.
Especially during the special period of economic downturn and the spread of the epidemic in India, they worry about the lack of sufficient transparency of the project and blame the overall cost of being too high.
In a petition filed with the Supreme Court, critics said that the Indian government will spend Rs 200 billion (Rs. 0.1 yuan) on this project, which can be used to better fight the epidemic and repair the economy hit hard by the epidemic. In addition, they believe that the project has not been approved by the Heritage Protection Commission in advance, but the Times of India said that the Heritage Protection Commission will consider it soon.
After the Supreme Court announced the ruling, Sujiwara, spokesman of the opposition Congress Party of India, said that the “Vision Project” was “a whimsical dictator project” and “they tried to immortalize their name with cement and mortar”.
Pri Ze, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs of Modi Government, responded that the “Vision Project” is by no means a “face-saving project” and vowed to be completed by the 2022 winter parliamentary session.
He also said that the government will strictly abide by the provisions of heritage and environmental protection, and also welcomes public supervision and constructive suggestions.
According to The Guardian, many critics believe that why the problem cannot be solved by upgrading the existing parliament building, and the construction of a new parliament building must be spent.
Last May, about 60 former government civil servants wrote to Indian Prime Ministers Modi and Puri, saying that it was “irresponsible to take on the “Vision Project” at a special time when the government needs a lot of money to strengthen the public health system.
Modi still insisted on laying the foundation stone of the new parliament building on December 10 last year, describing it as a “milestone of democracy” and a “witness to self-reliance India”.
