The Defence Ministry office, which houses close to 7,000 employees and many other organisations, is set to move to two new complexes on Africa Avenue and Kasturba Gandhi Marg.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new office complex on Thursday, 16 September.
The space thus vacated after shifting the existing Defence Ministry at Dalhousie Road near South Block will be redeveloped for the Prime Minister's new residence and office as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.
The shifting of the Defence Ministry office is expected to free up 50 acres of land, which will be developed as an Executive Enclave for the Central Vista project.
The office complex on Africa Avenue is a seven-storey space, which will house the offices of only the Defence Ministry, while the eight-storey building on Kasturba Gandhi Marg will be used to temporarily accommodate offices currently located at Parivahan Bhawan and Shram Shakti Bhawan till their new offices are ready at the Central Secretariat Complex.
The complex on Africa Avenue is scattered across four blocks and offers a space of 5.08 lakh square feet while the KG Marg set-up has three blocks and an office area of 4.52 lakh square feet. The two complexes together have parking space for 1,500 cars.
Central Vista Project
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has carried out the construction of the new office complexes as part of the Central Vista project at a cost of Rs 775 crore provided by the Defence Ministry.
The new buildings will also provide modern amenities, connectivity, and welfare facilities like canteens and banks.
Under the Central Vista plan, the prime minister's residence will be shifted behind the existing South Block complex.
The plan also includes relocation of vice president's new residence behind North Block and 10 new building blocks to accommodate government offices, including Shastri Bhavan, Nirman Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan and Vayu Bhavan.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)