Central Vista Revamp: 4th secretariate building work likely to begin in March

Three Central Vista projects, including the New Parliament building and the vice-president’s enclave, are under construction

The fourth Common Central Secretariat (CCS) building that will come up after the demolition of the Raksha Bhawan on Man Singh Road is the next project likely to be taken up in March at a cost of ₹620 crore under the Central Vista redevelopment project, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officials said. It will be among the 10 buildings planned as part of the CCS.

The building will come up on Man Singh Road. (PTI)

An official said they will invite bids for the project in December and plan to start the work by March. “The existing residential facility for Defence officers at Raksha Bhawan will soon shift to the newly constructed building at Kasturba Gandhi Marg by December,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

A second CPWD official nine CCS buildings will be eight storeyed (ground plus eight) and the 10th six storeyed and with two basements for parking for 300 cars and office space for around 2,200 officials.

“The area of the [10th] building is much less than the other CCS buildings due to small plot size...just 12 acres,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

According to the government’s Central Vista project website, the office buildings will have a capacity to “hold about 54,000 personnel”. The offices are proposed to be connected through a loop of an automated underground people mover, overground shuttles, and walkways.

Three Central Vista projects, including the New Parliament building and the vice-president’s enclave, are under construction. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Central Vista Avenue.

HT has reported the CPWD is also planning to start work for the construction of Members of Parliament (MP) Chambers for which it will start shifting ministries and departments from Shram Shakti and Transport Bhawan located on two adjacent plots measuring 5.5 acres. The two buildings will be demolished for the chambers for office space for MPs.

The CPWD, which is the nodal agency for the redevelopment project, is planning to construct the 10-storeyed building for the chambers (ground plus 10) with three levels of the basement car park close to the new Parliament connected through a tunnel. It will have office space for over 800 MPs. MPs do not have offices in the existing Parliament building.

Last month, the CPWD started a “subsurface survey” to look at the underground utilities at Shram Shakti and Transport Bhawans that house ministries of power, labour, and employment.

The CPWD has invited bids to renovate the Jodhpur Officers Hostel at Pandara Park to accommodate two ministries at a cost of ₹13.65 crore. The renovation is scheduled to be completed within three months from the date of the award of work.