New Delhi: The first set of new office spaces for central government employees is expected to be ready by May this year, the Centre informed Parliament Thursday.
Under the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a Common Central Secretariat (CCS), comprising 10 buildings, is proposed to house 51 ministries and departments.
The construction of the first set of three CCS buildings (CCS 1, 2 and 3), which began in December 2021, is now in the advanced stages of completion. The initial deadline for completing CCS 1, 2 and 3 was November 2023, but the project has missed multiple deadlines. The most recent revised deadline was January 2025.
In a written response to a question regarding the status of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, from Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP for Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency Mala Roy, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said Thursday, “The construction of CCS-1, 2 & 3 and CCS-10 is currently ongoing, with estimated completion dates of May 2025 and April 2026, respectively.”
Under the Rs 20,000-crore Central Vista Redevelopment Project, conceived in 2019, the new Parliament building, Vice-President’s Enclave, and the redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue have been completed. Construction work on the Executive Enclave—which includes the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), India House, Cabinet Secretariat, and National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)—as well as CCS-10, is currently underway.
The construction cost of the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated in 2023, and the Vice-President’s Enclave has increased from the original estimate of Rs 971 crore and Rs 214 crore, respectively, according to the minister.
While the Centre did not provide details of the exact increase in the cost of construction of the two projects, Sahu, in the written response to the question, said the reasons for the cost escalation included an increase in GST rate from 12 to 18 percent with effect from 1 July 2022; escalation in material and labour costs, including the rise in prices of steel, cement, and labour wages during the project’s execution; additional security provisions introduced by security agencies during construction; and design modifications for the new Parliament building to comply with Earthquake Zone-V regulations.
Centre planning relocation of offices
The Centre is in the process of finalising plans to relocate offices to the new office spaces.
According to senior ministry officials, offices in the North Block—which houses the ministries of Home Affairs and Finance—are likely to be shifted to CCS 1, 2 and 3. This is because the Centre intends to convert both the North Block and South Block into a museum called ‘Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum’.
The museum, set to be the world’s largest, will be housed in the North and South blocks as part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.
According to senior ministry officials, the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal has conducted a survey of the heritage buildings, mapping all structural changes made post-independence, and submitted a restoration plan.
The restoration work is expected to commence in mid-2025, once the ministries have relocated to the new CCS buildings, senior officials said.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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