Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will shift its headquarters from the Town Hall to the Civic Centre right in the heart of the national capital by the end of this month, Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said Monday.
The new office at the Minto Road (now Bhavbhuti Marg)-Jawaharlal Nehru Marg junction will have a completely modern look and state of the art infrastructure including two helipads — quite a change from the existing Town Hall offices located in the congested Chandni Chowk area.

“The MCD will be shifting its operations by end of this month to the new office,” Kanwar Sain told IANS.

“The new building complex has 28 floors and it will house all the departments of the civic body under one roof. The overall cost of the new civic centre is estimated to be Rs.550 crore,” he said.

According to the mayor, the Town Hall headquarters, located in the congested Chandni Chowk area, is inconvenient for the public.

“The area was making it difficult for the public and office bearers to reach there. The building has become old and there is shortage of space,” he said.

The MCD is also mulling over a plan to rent out some office space and earn some income.

“We are planning to rent out some floors to agencies like the income tax department. With this initiative, MCD will be earning around Rs.18 crore every month,” he added.

“The new civic centre is spread over 12 acres of land with an approximate height of 112 metres and it will have two helipads. This will be the tallest structure in Delhi. It will be expected to witness more than 16,000 foot falls per day,” said an MCD spokesperson.

The government had last year said that the 143-year-old Town Hall building may be turned into a heritage hotel or museum. The Town Hall was conceived by the British immediately after the 1857 rebellion and was completed by 1866.