Among the thousands of people who thronged Kartavya Path on Thursday for the 74th Republic Day celebrations were a group of very special guests — the construction workers and the staff who worked on the Centra Vista redevelopment project, and now help maintain the newly laid pathways and lush lawns between Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate.
Hundreds of workers who worked tirelessly for months to complete the mammoth project attended the parade on Thursday. Seated opposite the saluting dais across the Kartavya Path, they said it was a moment of pride to be recognised for the work they had put in to renovate the iconic stretch.
“It was a moment of great honour and pride for us to attend the Republic Day parade and be seated so close to the VVIP area. I saw the parade for the first time. To see the marching contingents of our armed forces so closely was the high point,” said Dinesh Bhattad, a construction manager.
Around 300 workers help maintain Kartavya Path and 200 others are involved in the construction of the new Parliament building and other Central Vista projects, such as the common central secretariat building. All of them attended the parade.
Manish, a construction supervisor, said he took pride in his work. “We have worked very hard to complete the redevelopment project. Today, the area has completely transformed and everyone is appreciating it. It is a matter of pride that everyone is appreciating our work today at Kartavya Path,” he said.
Diwakar Ram, a worker who attended the event along with his family, said, “We couldn’t meet the PM, but we are happy that we saw him from such close proximity. The whole experience of watching the parade and sitting in front of the saluting dais was great.”
Vendors, rickshaw pullers and milk sellers in the area were also invited for the parade. Kartavya Path was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year. This was the first Republic Day parade down the majestic stretch, which was renamed from Rajpath.
Modi also interacted with workers involved in the revamp of the Avenue during the inauguration.