The Delhi government has revised its plan for the proposed new Secretariat complex at ITO, dropping the earlier proposal for two interconnected towers linked by a skywalk.
Under the new arrangement, two separate buildings will come up on either side of Indraprastha Marg. The existing Income Tax Office (ITO) and Public Works Department (PWD) headquarters will be demolished, with the Income Tax Department shifting across the road and the Delhi government using a larger parcel for its Secretariat.
New plan for two separate buildings
On the southern side of Indraprastha Marg, the existing ITO occupies five acres owned by the Union government. Another five-acre plot next to it, owned by the Delhi government, houses various departments.
These two plots are proposed to be combined into a 10-acre site for the new Delhi Secretariat.
On the northern side, the existing PWD headquarters will be demolished, freeing up around eight acres of Delhi government land. The Income Tax Department will shift to this site along with some ancillary Delhi government departments.
The redevelopment of the Income Tax office has already been approved, officials said. The proposed complex will have around 3.6 million square feet of built-up area, with about 1.1 million square feet earmarked for the Income Tax Department.
PWD minister Parvesh Verma said the revised arrangement had addressed the major land-related issues.
“We want to develop a world-class secretariat with modern technology, efficient design and high-quality construction. The arrangement with the IT department has been worked out and the plan for two buildings across the road seems most efficient,” he told Hindustan Times.
Earlier plan had skywalk
The revised configuration is a departure from the proposal announced in July. The government had then planned two interconnected towers on either side of Indraprastha Marg, designed to operate as a single Secretariat complex.
The proposed structure was compared to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, with the two towers to be connected by a skywalk-like structure.
The new plan instead separates the two functions, with the Income Tax department moving to the PWD site while the larger southern parcel is retained for the Delhi government Secretariat.
Secretariat to bring departments together
The proposed complex is aimed at bringing several Delhi government departments currently spread across different locations under one roof.
Departments and senior officers, including the revenue, labour, GST, education, transport, excise, and food and civil supplies departments, currently operate from different government buildings.
The new complex is also expected to replace the existing Delhi Secretariat, popularly known as the Players’ Building, near ITO on Vikas Marg.
The building was constructed in 1982 to accommodate athletes during the Asian Games and was later converted into the seat of the Delhi government.
Officials said the broad land-use arrangement has now been worked out, while the final architectural design will depend on detailed planning and further approvals.