On thursday,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was supposed to start shifting to its new address. So far,however,none of its offices have moved. When Newsline visited the area at 2 pm,it found some construction work still on at the 28-storey Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre. The guard there said some officials had come in the morning but left soon after. The officials went to check where their department would be in the building and see what equipment,like chairs,tables and computers are needed. Other officials will start checking the place Friday onwards, said a senior official of the MCD. On Thursday,work on fixing tiles on one side of the building was still on. Some workers were tidying up the lawn which had a thicket of wild grass. Another official said shifting an establishment as big as the MCD is a very complicated task and cannot happen overnight. It will take more time,but we are hoping that by next week,some offices will work out of the Civic Centres premises, he said. The first phase of the shifting process began on Thursday and is supposed to continue till November 17. Since no office shifted on Thursday,there are apprehensions that the 18 departments supposed to shift may not be able to do so in time. Even if one department shifts per day,it is going to take a long time. Plus,there will be no shifting on Saturday and Sunday, added the official. Workers at the Civic Centre said some problems in the new building could also postpone the shifting. While furniture has started arriving,it is in no way complete. Many floors have not yet been fitted with any furniture, said a worker. The civic body is supposed to shift to the new address completely by December 8.
