Civic Centre may be rented out

Civic Centre, the tallest building in the Capital, which currently houses the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillors and bureaucrats, might be rented out once the three corporations — south, east and north — come into being.

Civic Centre, the tallest building in the Capital, which currently houses the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillors and bureaucrats, might be rented out once the three corporations — south, east and north — come into being.

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Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit hinted the possibility when the Assembly cleared the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2011 on Thursday.

“Half of the building is already rented out. It is a beautiful structure and can be rented out once the three corporations are in place,” she said. The revenue earned through this exercise will be equally distributed among the three corporations.

According to sources, when the trifurcation issue was being debated, each councillor wanted the Civic Centre to be the headquarters of the new corporations. “It is the Capital’s tallest building with all modern facilities. If it is given to one corporation, the other will make an issue out of it. It will be better if it is rented out,” said a municipal councillor, who does not want to be named.

Currently, half of the building is rented out to the Income Tax department from which the civic agency has made R1,800 crore from it.

The department has been given about 5.43 lakh sq feet on a 99-year lease.

The 28-storeyed 112-metre tall Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre has been built at a cost of Rs 650 crore. It has four six-storey blocks, one 28-storey tower block, in addition to a service block, water and sewage treatment plant.

The building has rainwater harvesting technology, energy-efficient lighting and day light sensor systems.

Water will be conserved through flow sensors and self-closing taps, officials said.