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New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) No decision has so far been taken to shut down the National Museum to expand the Central Vista, the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday.
Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy shared this information in a written response to a query by TMC’s Jawhar Sircar in Rajya Sabha.
National Museum, located along Delhi’s Janpath, is home to a collection of ancient artefacts and one of the most iconic modern landmarks of the capital city.
Sircar, in his written query, also asked if the government has decided a place to shift the priceless artefacts of the museum for interim storage, and if the government has studied any shifting of such a scale anywhere in the world.
Sircar asked whether the government has consulted the best international and national experts on museums and antiquities; and whether, during such storage, the government will ensure appropriate requirements of light, heat, ventilation, humidity, etc. for all objects that require them.
In his response, Reddy said, “No such decision has so far been taken by the government.” The 35,000-square metre museum presently holds approximately 2,00,000 objects, both Indian and foreign. covering over more than five thousand years of Indian cultural heritage.
The foundation of the present building was laid by the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on May 12, 1955.
The first phase of the National Museum building was formally inaugurated by the then Vice President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on December 18, 1960. The second phase was completed in 1989.
The redevelopment of the Central Vista – the nation’s power corridor in Delhi – envisaged a triangular Parliament building next to the existing one, a common Central Secretariat for ministries and the revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath – from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
The new Parliament building, a state-of-the-art structure, was inaugurated by Modi on May 28 and Parliament moved to the swanky new complex on September 19. PTI KND SKY SKY
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