New Delhi's 45 years old 'Pragati Maidan' - a permanent exhibition complex will be razed despite opposition from architectural fraternity and many heritage conservation groups. There is a proposal to build a new world-class Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre at this place with a cost of Rs 2254 Crore (345 million USD). This decision was taken by the Government of India or more precisely by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently.

The decision to demolish the Pragati Maidan is based on the proposal submitted by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the owner of the 50-hectatre complex. This exhibition complex was built in 1972 to host the first International Trade Fair in commemoration of India's 25th year of Independence.

The campus remained a vibrant hub of many activities from 1972 to 2016 and hosted number of India International Trade Fairs, World Book Fairs and Auto Expos besides many others. The campus comprises a Hall of Nations, Hall of Industries, Nehru Memorial pavilion, Permanent Exhibition Halls of various States and Central Government Ministries and Public Sector Undertakings, an auditorium, man-made lake, cafeteria besides many other components.

All these buildings have excellent designs and are masterpieces in their own contexts. But prominent among these are the Hall of nations, Hall of Industries and Nehru Memorial Pavilion which are designed by renowned Indian architect Raj Rewal and structural engineer Mahendra Raj. These iconic buildings are considered as landmarks in the history of modern Indian architecture.

The Hall of Nations is one of the largest concrete span structures in the country. It has a span of 78 metres and height of 27 metres. It is built in in-situ reinforced-cement-concrete frame structure in trellis format. Likewise the Hall of Industries has a span of 44 metres. Unlike these two imposing buildings, the Nehru Memorial Pavilion is a down-to-earth structure in concrete, firmly embedded in grassy mounds.

As an acknowledgement of  the excellence in architecture of these buildings, the Government of India's Postal Department has issued postal stamps in 1986 and 1992 depicting the Hall of Nations.

Apart from this, the models and drawings of these buildings have been displayed in many museums the world over. These include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, New York's Museum of Modern Art, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. The authorities of the museums in Paris and New York have written to the Indian Government to ensure that these structures are not demolished.

The International Union of Architects (UIA) which represents over 1.3 million architects from 120 countries and the Indian Institute of Architects comprising about 20,000 architects have also urged the government to ensure the protection of the complex. UIA has described the Hall of Nations as "one of the largest space frames in concrete and internationally acclaimed as one of the most important building of the last century."

Nehru Memorial Pavilion

Reacting to the news, the architect of the Hall of Nations, Raj Rewal said, "irrespective of who is in power, we are being ruled by people who are philistine (people who have very little knowledge about art and culture). They have good knowledge about how to make money, but art and culture are their weak points."

To counter all the above sentiments the India Trade Promotion Organisation clarified that after redevelopment, the Pragati Maidan will have 119,000 square meters of space for exhibitions as compared to 65,000 square metres right now. Plans include a 'state-of-the-art Convention Centre' that will seat 7000 people, and support facilities like parking space for almost 5000 cars.

The government said, "the new Centre has been planned keeping in view India's growing international profile and increasing presence at summit, ministerial and other levels. A need has been felt to have a modern world-class Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre at New Delhi to provide an appropriate venue for international events."

The ITPO has planned the development in a phased manner and the first phase is expected to be completed by May 2019.

Layout plan of existing Pragati Maidan being demolished

All images of Hall of Nations © Sanyam Bahga/Flickr

All images of Nehru Memorial Pavilion courtesy Raj Rewal

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