The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has asked government departments to vacate and hand over the Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan premises by the end of September, paving the way for construction of Kartavya Bhawan (KB) 4 and 5 in central Delhi.
The two buildings, constructed during the post-Independence expansion of the Central Secretariat in the 1950s and 1960s, were built to accommodate the Union government’s expanding administrative machinery beyond the original North and South Blocks. They are now set to make way for the next phase of the Central Secretariat redevelopment. “There has been some optimisation in the planning. The technology is relatively more expensive but is intended to help complete the seven-storey structures within a construction timeline of two years.
The first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings were constructed at a sanctioned cost of ₹ 3,690 crore and were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August this year. Officials said the higher cost of CCS-4 and CCS-5 was also linked to the technology being used for the new buildings.
An official said the revised estimate was the result of a “slight modification” in the design. Certain areas that were earlier kept as open or common spaces have been converted into usable office space, which has led to a marginal increase in the built-up area and associated costs,” the official said.
