The Indian Express | Office complex for ministries being moved for Central Vista revamp inaugurated

Apr 13,2023

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri on Wednesday inaugurated a government office complex on Kasturba Gandhi Marg that will accommodate ministries being moved out due to the Central Vista redevelopment.

The minister also inaugurated the redeveloped government residential colonies at Mohammadpur and Thyagraj Nagar, which have been complete for some time now. The process of allotment of flats to eligible government employees by the Directorate of Estates has already begun, sources said.

The office complex, known as General Pool Office Accommodation (GPOA)-2, has a nine-storied tower that will be home to the Ministries of Labour and Employment, Power and Ports, and Shipping and Waterways, which are currently located at Shram Shakti Bhawan and Transport Bhawan. These two buildings are set to be demolished to make way for MP Chambers, which will have offices for each Parliamentarian and be connected to the new Parliament via underground tunnel as a part of the Central Vista redevelopment.

In a statement, the Ministry said the second tower at KG Marg is a 10-storied structure, which will have transit accommodation for the National Defence College, a CSD canteen, a gym, community hall and other facilities. “The work has been executed by the Central Public Works Department at a cost of Rs 325 crore against the sanctioned cost of Rs.351.37 crore,” the Ministry said.

The two redeveloped General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colonies have a total of 1,411 Type-II, Type-III and Type-IV quarters. The Mohammadpur GPRA was constructed with 25 per cent saving against the sanctioned cost of Rs 362 crore while Thyagraj Nagar GPRA was built with 30 per cent saving against the sanctioned cost of Rs 391 crore, the Ministry said.

With the multi-storied buildings replacing the older buildings, which were up to three floors, there has been an increase of 499 units in the same area.

“A considerable reduction in the ground coverage has been achieved in both the colonies with an increase in the green area coverage by three times, paving the way for providing more open green spaces for healthy lifestyle,” the statement read.

The colonies were constructed using the latest techniques and included the use of kerb stones made of recycled construction and demolition waste. Solar panels and sewage treatment plants have also been included in the projects, it said.