Common Secretariat in Lodhi Road? 4K Families May Lose Their Homes

The Rs 20,000-crore plan will attempt to bring various central ministries under one roof.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: Reuters)

A residential complex housing 4,000 families in Lodhi Road is set to be razed and a Common Secretariat will be built in its stead, reports The Economic Times. The Rs 20,000-crore plan will attempt to bring various central ministries together, according to the report.

The proposal presented by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to Urban development Secretary Rajiv Gauba will most likely come up in five years, the report said. It is, however, still pending final approval from the Prime Minister.

The new Common Secretariat will not be housing the ministries functioning out of the North and South Block on Raisina Hill, said the report. These include the Prime Minister’s Office, the ministries of Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs. Only the ministries which have offices spread over different buildings will be brought together at the new Secretariat, the report said. These include the departments in Krishi Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan, among others.

Two models have been designed to finance the project – the National Buildings Construction Corporation is involved in one such model, and another model involves funding by a “concessionaire”, the report said.

The CPWD will be providing alternate accommodation to the affected families, however, the government has not yet decided how the old buildings will be put to use once the ministries have vacated, according to the report. There are ongoing consultations on whether the Bhawans should be converted into museums, however, there is no clarity on it yet.