MCD Civic Centre set for Feb launch

Sain added that he is in talks with the project’s chief engineer to expedite the construction of his office and the office of Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra so that they can move in sooner and inspect the progress of the work.

“I have been discussing the matter with the Chief Engineer and have told him to complete our offices first. The Commissioner and I will have a camp office at the Civic Centre within the next 20 days,” Sain said. “I want to move so that I can monitor the progress of the work.”

Work on track
According to MCD spokesperson Deep Mathur,construction work is on track and the building will be ready on time. “Currently,work on the interiors,plumbing and installation of firefighting equipment etc is underway. Such work requires a lot of minute detailing and takes time,” he said.

Once the construction work is completed,various departments of the civic body will start moving into the new premises in a multi-phased manner. According to the Engineering department officials,the MCD has already finalised its shifting plans,scheduled to take place in six phases. The Engineering department will be the first to move into the new headquarters. “Having more knowledge of the construction,the Engineering department will be able to take care of initial teething problems. The rest will follow,” Sain said.

Ward councillors,who constitute the Deliberative wing of the agency,will be the last to move to the new building.

The ambitious Civic Centre is coming up on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg at a cost of around Rs 500 crore. With 28 floors,it will be the tallest building in the Capital.

Half of complex to be let
The complex,designed as an ultra-modern,state-of-the-art building,incorporates the latest technology to conserve water and energy. Designed as an integrated complex at plaza level,it will be divided equally into two distinct components — the Deliberative Wing and offices of the MCD and office space for commercial use,and a large cultural wing,which consists of an auditorium,a banquet hall,a health club,restaurants,banks etc. According to the Mayor,the total floor area of 1.16 lakh sq metres will be divided — 50 per cent will be allotted for commercial establishments and 50 percent for institutional space.

“Nearly 15 companies have shown interest so far and we are hoping to generate nearly Rs 1,000 crore through this. Part of the revenue will be used to develop a traffic management plan around the centre,which is estimated at Rs 300 crore and includes the construction of six underpasses,” said an MCD official. “A list of the shortlisted companies will be released soon,” he added.

Corporate firms that are in line to buy space at the Civic Centre include Reliance Industries,Parsvnath Developers and two firms from Malaysia.

Traffic plan for area
According to Sain,the MCD will ensure that the large number of people coming to the centre does not cause traffic congestion in the area. “A traffic management plan for roads leading to and around the New Delhi Railway Station and the Civic Centre building has been prepared in such a way that it would ease traffic congestion. To facilitate a balanced distribution of traffic and signal-free movement at intersections and junctions,a number of subways,foot overbridges and underpasses will come up in the area before 2010,” he said.

The centre will also have parking space for 2,500 vehicles. Forty four high-speed lifts are being installed in the building.

It was initially proposed that a helipad will be constructed on the roof of the building. MCD officials,however,refused to confirm whether the construction would take place.