The 10 office complexes comprising the Central Secretariat will be connected to the existing Delhi Metro network after they are built, in the final phase of the Central Vista revamp project. The firm(s) that will win the tender for the development will only construct an underground tunnel for this purpose, an official of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) told The Indian Express.
As per the design created by HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, the architectural consultant of the Central Vista project, the 10 office complexes of the Central Secretariat will emerge on the two parallel horizontal axes of the Rajpath. Designed along the lines of transit-oriented development (TOD), each complex will be interconnected through a loop and to the existing Delhi Metro lines (yellow and violet) that traverse underneath.
Dr Bimal Patel, head of the firm, last year mentioned during a presentation, “At the underground level, a people mover and an underground loop will connect to the Metro station. You get off the Metro and get inside the people-mover. It will go around in circles of the Secretariat and will be connected to the Metro. Such people-movers are seen in various international airports.”
The CPWD floated a detailed tender for the first three secretariat office complexes – which will emerge in front of the National Archives, where the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is situated – in April and pre-bid meetings with various firms were also held on April 30.
The firms which showed their presence at the pre-bid meetings for clarification of the various terms, conditions and build requirements were Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Private Limited, MEP, L&T, JMC Projects (India) Ltd, Girdhari Lal Constructions Pvt Ltd, Montecarlo Ltd, and PSP Projects. The final date for submission of expression of interests is June 15, 2021. Technical bid submissions shall open on May 25.
As per the notice inviting the bid from the CPWD, “The work is estimated to cost (composite) Rs 34,08,81,22,602 (Civil & Horticulture component: Rs 21,12,09,34,804; Electrical & Mechanical component: Rs 11,57,18,41,562; Rs 1,39,53,46,236 for operation & maintenance for 5 years). This estimate, however, is given merely as a rough guide.”
The finalised plans for the three complexes show they would have two basement parking levels.
An official from the CPWD said, “The construction of the TOD will take time as the underground Metro network can be connected only when all Secretariat buildings are completed. This will be taken up in the last phase. Meanwhile, part of the underground tunnel for the Metro falling within the plot for buildings 1, 2 & 3 will be completed to avoid disruption at a later stage as these will be in use by then.”
No unauthorised photography
As per security requirements that contractors will have to maintain, the construction site must be monitored by CCTVs and security guards. Personal ID cards must be allotted to personnel working on site. The peripheries will also be barricaded by 10-m-high special acoustic barricading or as directed by the NGT.
“Photography/videography at the site should be carried out by authorised personnel identified by the engineer in-charge. Contractor shall make necessary arrangements to keep away unauthorised persons to take photographs/videos,” said a senior CPWD official.
A senior CPWD official said, “There is no clause for prohibition of photography/videography by the general public. The construction site is secured for safety purposes and entry of public is allowed only after permission and with Personal Protective Equipment like helmet and shoes under the guidance of a supervisor. These are required for safety purposes. For the safety of visitors and the public, we enclose the site with barricading boards as work is carried out through heavy machinery. Any public entry without safety equipment may cause accidents and fatalities. It is a mandatory practice followed at every site by CPWD, PWD, DMRC.”
Basement parking
The two basement floor underground parking will also have 2X2 multi-level puzzle (stackable) parking, along with single parking spaces. As per this plan, cars will be stacked on two levels. The total parking capacity of one office complex will be 1,861 cars.
White and red stones will be used for cladding, teak wood for carving and jali-work, and white and green marble, lakha red and black granite stones for the flooring.
Camps for workers
The CPWD has proposed that camps for wokers can come up at Utsav Sthal opposite Nirankari Sarovar near Burari, which measures 11.38 acres.
“Vacant land will be provided to the contractor free of cost up to one month of the stipulated time period of completion and justified extended period. Thereafter, rent, as fixed by the DDA, shall be charged up to the date of clearing the site, its vacation, and returning the vacant site to engineer-in-charge,” read the inviting bid.
As per the requirements, contractors can also make alternative arrangements for the camps.
These camps must be provided with double-storied hutments in a single module consisting of rooms (116 sq ft), separate toilets for men and women, a creche for children, medical facilities and ambulance, fresh drinking water facilities, sewage treatment plant, and group insurance scheme to all workers.
Central Vista project under construction at India Gate in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra) 
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