PM to inaugurate ‘Kartavya Bhavan’

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will inaugurate the newly constructed Common Central Secretariat buildings, named ‘Kartavya Bhavan’ 1, 2, and 3, located along Delhi’s iconic Kartavya Path.

These state-of-the-art office buildings will soon become the new home for several pivotal ministries, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, MSME, and Petroleum & Natural Gas. Following the inauguration, PM Modi is also scheduled to address a public gathering.

Addressing a curtain raiser, Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that earlier government office complexes in the area were constructed without planning and had seen better days. The Central Vista Redevelopment Project, he added, is intended to replace these old buildings with new, efficient offices meant to improve coordination between ministries.

The Kartavya Bhavan complex will house ten buildings. Each of these buildings has two basement levels, one ground floor, and six upper floors. In total, these buildings will have 850 office rooms and a parking space for 600 cars.

The first floor will house the Petroleum ministry, the second floor will have the MSME ministry along with department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), External Affairs ministry on the third floor, Home Affairs ministry (fourth to sixth floor with Home Minister’s office on the fifth and the Intelligence Bureau headquarters on the sixth floor).

Sophisticated surveillance, more than 700 CCTV cameras and access control systems have been installed across the premises.

The premises will have secure entry points with flap barriers, metal detectors, X-ray scanners and vehicle scanning systems. The perimeter is protected with boom barriers, vehicle blockers, and an electrified fence.

Meanwhile, a central Integrated Command and Control Centre provides security and coordination throughout the Central Vista complex.

The facility will promote eco-consciousness through zero-discharge waste management, in-house solid waste processing, e-vehicle charging stations, and extensive use of recycled construction material.

It will treat and reuse wastewater to meet a major chunk of water needs.