Delhi Government Revises ITO Secretariat Plan, Scraps Skywalk Design
The Delhi government has modified the plan for its proposed Secretariat complex at the ITO intersection, opting to construct two separate buildings on either side of Indraprastha Marg instead of twin towers connected by a skywalk, officials said on Thursday.
Under the revised plan, the existing Income Tax Office and the Public Works Department headquarters will be demolished. The Income Tax Department will move across the road, allowing the Delhi government to build its new Secretariat on a combined 10-acre land parcel on the southern side of Indraprastha Marg.
The 10-acre plot will be created by merging five acres currently occupied by the Income Tax Office, owned by the Union government, with an adjoining five-acre parcel owned by the Delhi government. On the northern side of the road, demolishing the PWD headquarters will free up roughly eight acres of Delhi government-owned land to house the relocated Income Tax Department along with ancillary Delhi government offices. Redevelopment of the tax office has received departmental approval.
The proposed complex will feature a total built-up area of approximately 3.6 million square feet. About 1.1 million square feet will be designated for the Income Tax Department, while the rest will accommodate Delhi government departments. Although PWD will construct the tax office building, the Union government will fund that portion of the work.
PWD Minister Parvesh Verma stated that the revised arrangement resolved key land issues. He said the plan for two separate buildings across the road emerged as the most efficient option for developing a modern secretariat.
The revised design replaces a proposal announced in July that envisioned two interconnected towers linked by a structure resembling a skywalk across Indraprastha Marg, styled after Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.
The new complex is planned to consolidate administrative offices spread across multiple locations, including Civil Lines, and replace the existing Delhi Secretariat at the Players' Building on Vikas Marg. The broad land-use plan has been settled, while architectural designs and final configurations remain subject to detailed planning and approvals.
