Gujarat-based architecture firm wins consultancy bid for Central Vista revamp

Gujarat-based architecture firm HCP Designs has won the consultancy bid for the Centre's ambitious project to redevelop the Central Vista, including Parliament and Rajpath, and develop a common Central Secretariat for various ministries, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday. The firm, which will be paid Rs 229.75 crore for consultancy services, will prepare the master plan of the project, including designs, cost estimation, landscape and traffic integration plans, and parking facilities among others, he said at a press conference. HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, based in Ahmedabad, is led by architect Bimal Patel and has developed several projects, including the Sabarmati Riverfront Development where Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held a mammoth event to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. It has also developed the Central Vista at Gandhinagar and the Mumbai Port Complex. On the cost of the project, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said usually, the consultation fee is around three per cent of the total project cost. However, sources in the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) said the project cost may increase due to different aspects.