New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday announced that a suitable location will be identified for establishing a new Delhi secretariat, allowing all departments to operate under one roof.
While launching the ‘Delhi Ko Koode Se Azaadi’ campaign from the premises of the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) at Kashmere Gate, she expressed displeasure over the dilapidated condition of the office.
“Witnessing the state of the building has left me extremely distressed. The time has come to construct a new, well-organised, and integrated secretariat for all departments of Delhi,” she said.
“We will take steps in this direction starting today. A suitable location will be identified where the new Delhi Secretariat can be established, enabling all departments to function under one roof. We cannot leave our officials to work in such miserable conditions any longer,” she asserted.
The Delhi Secretariat is located near Indira Gandhi Stadium in IP Estate. It was called the Players’ Building and was built as a hotel to accommodate the players participating in the 1982 Asian Games.
Government offices are currently scattered, and limited space is available at the secretariat. It is a government building where the chief minister, cabinet members, and top bureaucrats sit.
The building was declared “seismically unsafe” and structurally unsafe by PWD in 2023. The department had commissioned a structural audit of the building to Jadavpur University in Kolkata on the directions of the Delhi High Court.
The previous government had also drawn up plans to build a new secretariat.
The proposed site included the PWD headquarters and Vikas Bhawan, located to the north and south of Vikas Marg, respectively. It was discussed that the new office complex will consist of twin 35-storey towers equipped with modern facilities. The Public Works Department had issued a tender in December 2021 to hire a consultancy firm for this project.
Looking at the condition of the WCD office, Gupta said it was “shocking” to think how officials entrusted with ensuring good governance in Delhi can work effectively in such deplorable circumstances.
“The ceilings are leaking, the furniture is broken, there are no proper chairs to sit on, cupboards are damaged, and the fans are in such poor condition that they could fall at any moment.” She also expressed concern that the building, which suffered a fire in 2021, has still not been fully repaired to date.
“Are we forcing our officials to work while putting their lives at risk?” she questioned.
Attacking the AAP government, Gupta said those who called themselves an ‘educated government’ were busy building lavish offices for themselves, but failed to provide even basic facilities essential for the working of our officials.
“The ones who spent Rs 70 crore on building Sheesh Mahal could not spend even a few crores on these departments,” she said.
A senior official said they would prefer a secretariat somewhere in Central Delhi. “There has also been a discussion on shifting it somewhere near the Delhi Assembly in Civil Lines so that all the offices can be in close proximity, but no final decision has been made yet,” the official added. PTI SLB SSM SLB HIG HIG
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