Central Vista project: new office building to come at site of Raksha Bhawan

In total, 10 CCS buildings and a conference facility are proposed to come up along the Central Vista Avenue or Kartavya Path, formerly known as Rajpath.

Raksha Bhawan, which houses the National Defence College, would be moved to the defence offices complex at KG Marg, as per the official Central Vista project website. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

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The demolition of Raksha Bhawan and the construction of one of the new Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings in its place is likely to be the next project the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) takes up in its Central Vista redevelopment plan, The Indian Express has learnt.

On September 1, the CPWD received permission to remove and transplant 107 trees out of 132 present at the site on Ashoka Road from the Delhi Department of Forests and Wildlife. The project, as per the notification, is the “Construction of Common Central Secretariat Building 10, Plot No. 138, Ashoka Road, New Delhi.”

According to sources associated with the project, the new building would be a rectangular office building next to the under-construction CCS 1, 2 and 3 buildings that are larger in size. Raksha Bhawan, which houses the National Defence College, would be moved to the defence offices complex at KG Marg, as per the official Central Vista project website.

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In total, 10 CCS buildings and a conference facility are proposed to come up along the Central Vista Avenue or Kartavya Path, formerly known as Rajpath. The under-construction buildings – CCS 1,2 and 3 – will accommodate the Ministries located at Shastri Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan, as per the government’s Central Vista site.

The CCS 4, 5 and 9 buildings are proposed to be built at the site of Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan to accommodate Ministries located at North Block and South Block, except the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Defence, the site says.

Finally, CCS 6, 7 and 8 are proposed to be built as a “Defence Enclave” for the Ministry of Defence, DRDO and Army, Navy and Air Force offices in the Central Vista area.

The CPWD, a department under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, had in 2019 proposed a large-scale revamp of the 3-km stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan till India Gate, including the government offices located along the road, construction of a new Parliament, Prime Minister’s Residence, Prime Minister’s Office and Vice-President’s Enclave.

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So far, the redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue and the new Parliament have been done. Work on the PM and VP’s residence as well as the CCS 1, 2 and 3 is underway.

Damini Nath

Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More

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