New Delhi: Former civil servants who have served the Central and state governments in various capacities, have lashed out at the Narendra Modi government’s Central Vista redevelopment project, and questioned the rationale behind its “pursuit of pomp and grandeur” at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on lives and livelihoods.Describing themselves as being part of ‘Constitutional Conduct Group’, as many as 69 former bureaucrats in their open letter to the prime minister have said that the manner in which the project is being carried out amounts to complete disregard for the rule of law and “executive highhandedness”.Also read: Advisory Body to UNESCO Concerned Central Vista Project Will Alter Area’s Built Footprint“Whether it was in inviting design options, selecting consultants, holding fair and transparent stakeholder consultations, obtaining approvals of the institutions and authorities dealing with urban design, planning and environmental clearances – everything was done to ensure that rules and procedures were given short shrift, due processes treated with contempt and a predetermined plan of action bulldozed through,” reads the letter.The letter questions as to how the prime minister could go ahead and lay the foundation stone for the new project while the matter is still sub judice. It reminded the prime minister that the Supreme Court on December 7 took up the matter suo motu demanding an undertaking from the government that no action would be taken before it gave its final orders.The former civil servants have also wondered as to how the prime minister could lay the foundation stone for the new parliament building given that the prime minister is only the head of the executive, and not that of the legislature. This, the letter has observed that, amounted to “constitutional impropriety” on the part of the prime minister.Additionally, it has pointedly asked the prime minister the number of trees being cut to make way for the new project, and the environmental disaster it entailed. It notes that the tearing hurry on the part of the government to execute the project is reflected by the different figures it has given to various government agencies on the number of trees cut for the purpose.Also read: Amid Accusations of Secrecy, PM Modi to Lay Foundation of New Parliament BuildingThe former government servants have lamented that the government has chosen to pump vast sums of money for a project driven by “monumental ambition” to take precedence over improving public health infrastructure that has been severely strained and has been proven inadequate to respond to the shocks posed by the pandemic.In the case the government still intends to go ahead with the project, the former civil servants have asked the government to subject the project to critical scrutiny by citizens and independent experts. They have asked for the plans to be redrawn to make them compatible with environmental and heritage conservation standards, and the due processes of law relating to such projects must be followed.Below are the signatories:1.V.S. Ailawadi IAS (Retd.)Former Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority2.S.P. AmbroseIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI3.Anand ArniR&AW (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI4.Vappala BalachandranIPS (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI5.Chandrashekhar BalakrishnanIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Coal, GoI6.Sharad BeharIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh7.Madhu BhaduriIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Portugal8.Meeran C BorwankarIPS (Retd.)Former DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, GoI9.Ravi BudhirajaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI10.Sundar BurraIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra11.R. ChandramohanIAS (Retd.)Former Principal Secretary, Transport and Urban Development, Govt. of NCT of Delhi12.Surjit K. DasIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttarakhand13.Vibha Puri DasIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI14.P.R. DasguptaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI15.Nitin DesaiIES (Retd.)Former Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, GoI16.Keshav DesirajuIAS (Retd.)Former Health Secretary, GoI17.M.G. DevasahayamIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana18.A.S. DulatIPS (Retd.)Former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Minister’s Office, GoI19.Prabhu GhateIAS (Retd.)Former Addl. Director General, Department of Tourism, GoI20.Gourisankar GhoshIAS (Retd.)Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI21.Suresh K. GoelIFS (Retd.)Former Director General, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, GoI22.S.K. GuhaIAS (Retd.)Former Joint Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development, GoI23.H.S. GujralIFoS (Retd.)Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of Punjab24.Meena GuptaIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI25.Ravi Vira GuptaIAS (Retd.)Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India26.Kamal JaswalIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI27.Rahul KhullarIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India28.Ajai KumarIFoS(Retd.)Former Director, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI29.Sudhir KumarIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal30.Subodh LalIPoS (Resigned)Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI31.Harsh ManderIAS (Retd.)Govt. of Madhya Pradesh32.Amitabh MathurIPS (Retd.)Former Director, Aviation Research Centre and Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI33.Aditi MehtaIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan34.Sonalini MirchandaniIFS (Resigned)GoI35.Avinash MohananeyIPS (Retd.)Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Sikkim36.Deb MukharjiIFS (Retd.)Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal37.Shiv Shankar MukherjeeIFS (Retd.)Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom38.Surendra NathIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Finance Commission, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh39.P. Joy OommenIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh40.Amitabha PandeIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI41.R.M. PremkumarIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 42.V.P. RajaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission43.C. Babu RajeevIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, GoI44.M.Y. RaoIAS (Retd.)45.Satwant ReddyIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, GoI46.Vijaya Latha ReddyIFS (Retd.)Former Deputy National Security Adviser, GoI47.Julio RibeiroIPS (Retd.)Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania48.Aruna RoyIAS (Resigned)49.Manabendra N. RoyIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal50.Deepak SananIAS (Retd.)Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh51.G. SankaranIC&CES (Retd.)Former President, Customs, Excise and Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal52.S. SatyabhamaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairperson, National Seeds Corporation, GoI53.N.C. SaxenaIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI54.A. SelvarajIRS (Retd.)Former Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Chennai, GoI55.Ardhendu SenIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal56.Abhijit SenguptaIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI57.Aftab SethIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Japan58.Ashok Kumar SharmaIFoS (Retd.)Former MD, State Forest Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat59.Ashok Kumar SharmaIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia60.Navrekha SharmaIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Indonesia61.Sujatha SinghIFS (Retd.)Former Foreign Secretary, GoI62.Tirlochan SinghIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, GoI 63.Jawhar SircarIAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati64.Parveen TalhaIRS (Retd.)Former Member, Union Public Service Commission65.Thanksy ThekkekeraIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra66.Geetha ThoopalIRAS (Retd.)Former General Manager, Metro Railway, Kolkata67.Hindal TyabjiIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir68.Jawed UsmaniIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh & former Chief Information Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh69.Ramani Venkatesan IAS (Retd.)Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of Maharashtra