New Delhi: The Union government has set the ball rolling for the construction of the Prime Minister’s Residence Complex — one of the most important and high-profile components of the Central Vista redevelopment project — in Blocks A and B on Dara Shikoh Road near South Block in Delhi, ThePrint has learnt.
The complex will come up in a total built-up area of 2,26,203 square feet and is estimated to cost Rs 467 crore. Of the total built-up area, the PM’s residence will be spread out over an area of 36,328 square feet.
Besides the prime minister’s main residence on the ground and first floors, the complex located south of South Block will also contain the PM’s home office, an indoor sports facility, support staff quarters, a Special Protection Group (SPG) office, and a Seva Sadan among other structures for utility, as well as a security office, ThePrint has learnt.
An important component of the complex will be a subterranean VIP tunnel that can be accessed from the PM’s home office. It will directly connect the PM’s residence to the Executive Enclave, which will house the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the new Parliament and the Vice-President’s residence.
According to highly-placed government sources, the proposal to have a subterranean tunnel was made to help ease frequent traffic bottlenecks in the Central Vista area because of restrictions and barricading during the movement of the PM and his entourage.
The Union housing and urban affairs ministry, which is piloting the Central Vista Redevelopment project, has set a September 2024 deadline to complete and hand over the PM’s Residence Complex. Government sources told ThePrint that the proposal is likely to come up soon before the finance ministry’s Expenditure and Finance Committee (EFC) for approval. All publicly funded schemes and projects must be appraised and approved by the EFC.
The expenditure for constructing the complex will be met from the Union housing ministry’s Budget grant. In the 2022-23 Budget, Rs 70 crore was allocated for the project.
The housing ministry has already got environmental clearance for the project, and other clearances are in the process. The tender for the construction of the complex is likely to be completed by December, the government sources said.
The sources added that the location of the new PM’s Residence Complex was selected with an eye not only to bringing it closer to the PMO, the Cabinet Secretariat and the National Security Council Secretariat, but also to providing better segregation of high-security routes from general public movement.
The sources further said that the PM’s present residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg is located some 3 km from the PMO. “Any commute by the PM and his security entourage results in major disruptions to city traffic in the Central Vista area, and inconveniences the public. The new location will segregate the PM’s route and help avoid traffic disruptions,” one of the sources said.
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What Central Vista redevelopment entails
The Central Vista revamp plan is one of the the Narendra Modi government”s most ambitious projects, aimed at giving Delhi’s power corridor a complete makeover. The project includes constructing a new Parliament building, a Common Central Secretariat housing all the central government ministries and departments, as well as the Central Vista Avenue and the Executive Enclave.
Work is already underway to build a new triangle-shaped Parliament, which is expected to be ready by November, in time for the Winter Session.
Besides this, work has also started on the Common Secretariat, which will have 10 new building blocks to accommodate government offices, including those of Shastri, Nirman, Udyog, Krishi and Vayu Bhawans.
The PMO will be located in the Executive Enclave near the South Block, and it’s estimated that it will cost approximately Rs 1,200 crore. The National Security Council Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat will also be housed in the Executive Enclave. The existing PMO in South Block will eventually be converted into a museum.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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