The statue of Mahatma Gandhi was temporarily shifted on Tuesday, 19 January, in light of the ongoing construction work for the new Parliament building.
The iconic 16-feet bronze statue, sculpted by Ram Sutar in 1993, was first installed in front of the main entrance of the Parliament by then President, Shankar Dayal Sharma.
The statue will be relocated to a prominent place once the construction finishes, and it has now been moved to gate number three, opposite the Lok Sabha Speaker’s entrance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building on 10 December, even as the Supreme Court was hearing a plea against the construction of Central Vista in the national capital.
The apex court in December expressed its discontentment with the way in which the ceremony was being conducted, before the court had ruled on the case but still allowed it to proceed.
The 861 crore project is being built by Tata Projects Limited who won the bid in September 2020. It will be constructed under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.
Spread over 65,400 square meters, the new building will reportedly celebrate the cultural diversity of India with artisans and sculptures from across the country being employed to build the structure.
(With inputs from Indian Express)
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