CPWD Demolishes Nehru Era Bhawans in Central Vista for New Secretariat
The Union Government of India has commenced the demolition of historic post-independence era administrative buildings in Central Vista, New Delhi, to construct a new, consolidated central secretariat. The demolition process under the Central Vista redevelopment project began in May with the tearing down of Nirman Bhawan, followed by Udyog Bhawan, to make way for a modern complex named Kartavya Bhawan.
According to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan are scheduled to be demolished next. The four unassuming Nehruvian-era structures housed several key Central ministries and thousands of staff members for decades.
The buildings were constructed between 1952 and 1968 during the tenure of Shridhar Krishna Joglekar, who served as the CPWD’s chief architect. At the time of India's independence in 1947, the government primarily operated out of the North and South Blocks, alongside World War II-era hutments.
Krishi Bhawan, which houses the Ministry of Agriculture, was the first of the four to be built. Its foundation stone was laid on June 16, 1952, by Sardar Swaran Singh, the then minister in charge of the Works Ministry. Designed by architect B S Godbole under Joglekar's supervision, the project cost an estimated Rs 10 crore. It featured an economical design with floor heights restricted to 11 feet.
Udyog Bhawan was designed subsequently in 1957 by R I Gehlote to house the Ministry of Commerce.
Historical records from the National Archives reveal that the expansion of the secretariat faced intense debate in the late 1950s. The Town Planning Organisation had recommended building a 20-storey office tower near Vijay Chowk. However, Joglekar and other CPWD officials strongly resisted the proposal, arguing that high-rise constructions would violate Edwin Lutyens' original aesthetic vision for the Central Vista.
In December 1960, a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru officially decided to restrict the secretariat buildings to fewer storeys. The decision was driven by subsoil water concerns in Delhi and the high cost of foreign exchange required for steel frames and high-speed lifts.
Now, these decades-old utility buildings are being systematically cleared to transition the national capital's administrative headquarters into the new Kartavya Bhawan.
