The Hindu 11.1.2010
MCD all set to shift into new civic centre
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: After being bogged down by several construction delays and missing numerous deadlines, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is finally set to shift to its new headquarters, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Civic Centre, from this Thursday.
To mark the occasion, a small “havan puja” was also organised at the new civic centre on Wednesday. MCD Commissioner K. S. Mehra, Standing Committee chairman Yogender Chandolia, Leader of the House Subhash Arya, Leader of Opposition Jai Kishan Sharma and MCD Engineer-in-Chief Ravi Dass were among those present at the ‘havan’.
According to the MCD, the civic body’s engineering department would be the first to move into the new headquarters, touted to be the tallest building in the Capital, while the existing MCD headquarter building at Town Hall in Chandni Chowk is expected to be turned into a museum or a heritage hotel.
An MCD official said: “A four-phased shifting of the offices to the new building would begin from Thursday and would continue till December 8. Key departments to be shifted in accordance with the MCD office order include health, education, town planning and house tax departments. However, the offices of the Mayor, Leader of the House, Leader of Opposition, Chairman of the Standing Committee, Press and Information Directorate and Municipal Secretary’s office are planned to be shifted in the last phase from December 2 to December 8.”
The civic centre built at a cost of Rs 650 crore was inaugurated by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in April this year.
The building which would cater to 20,000 footfalls a day would bring under one roof the deliberative wing and different offices of the civic body, which looks after 96 per cent area of Delhi.
The new headquarters has been constructed in an area of 1.16 lakh sq.m. with a concept of ‘green building’ designed for optimum utilisation of natural resources like air, water and sunlight.
The foundation stone for the building was laid by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1994 and the work started in 2005, with Malaysia-based IJM Corporation as contractor.
