Five years after its inception, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has now started the process to get its own building for its headquarters, currently housed in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation-owned Civic Centre.
The SDMC headquarters would come up at a 8.75 acre-plot at IP Estate, near Pragati Maidan, and would be constructed by NBCC (India) Ltd., as per a proposal passed by the Standing Committee on Thursday.
The building would be easily accessible from Ring Road and is likely to be completed by 2018, Standing Committee Chairperson Shailender Singh said. The SDMC, which had been given the land to develop a district park, was given the Delhi Development Authority’s permission to change the land use on Wednesday.
Pragati Maidan project
Mr. Singh said the project would be completed in time, especially since the NBCC is constructing a new exhibition-cum-convention centre at Pragati Maidan and would work on the SDMC headquarters at the same time. The Pragati Maidan project is being “directly monitored” by the Prime Minister’s Office, so the construction of the SDMC headquarters would also get similar monitoring, added Mr. Singh.
The SDMC, which has tussled over maintenance charges and ownership rights of the Civic Centre with the North Corporation, may continue to stay at the existing headquarters even after the new one is made, said Mr. Singh. Some offices of the SDMC may be shifted to the new building, but the Corporation would not give up its rights over the Civic Centre, said Mr. Singh.
