New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) The demolition of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, two Lutyens’ Delhi landmarks that housed several key ministries for decades, is set to begin soon, with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) initiating the process to vacate the premises by the end of September.
Kartavya Bhawans 4 and 5, part of the sprawling new government office complex coming up under the Central Vista redevelopment project, will replace the two buildings, constructed between 1956 and 1968, which served as administrative hubs for Union government ministries.
According to a CPWD communication dated September 16, the tender for the construction of the proposed new Kartavya Bhawans has been awarded.
The proposed buildings fall within the footprint of the existing Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, making it necessary to hand over the site to the agency executing the Central Vista redevelopment project by the end of September 2026, it stated.
“This is essential to facilitate timely handing over of the site to the executing agency and enable the commencement of construction work as scheduled. It is, therefore, requested to take necessary action on priority for vacation and handing over of the existing Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan premises within the stipulated time,” the communication said.
Named after former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, the seven-storeyed Shastri Bhawan served as the nerve centre of several ministries and departments for decades, including the education, petroleum and natural gas, and coal ministries.
Krishi Bhawan, meanwhile, housed the agriculture and farmers’ welfare ministry and the rural development ministry. Over the last few months, several ministries and departments have vacated the two buildings and shifted to the newly-inaugurated Kartavya Bhawans in the high-security Central Vista area.
The vacation of the two complexes marks the next stage of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre’s plan to replace ageing government office buildings along Kartavya Path with new Common Central Secretariat complexes.
The government has proposed 10 Kartavya Bhawans under the Central Vista redevelopment project to bring ministries and departments, now functioning from different buildings, into modern and integrated office complexes.
The new complexes are meant to provide secure, technology-enabled workspaces and reduce the maintenance burden of old government buildings.
Under the broader redevelopment plan, offices from North and South Blocks, which are proposed to be converted into the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum, have also been shifted out. PTI SBR RC
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