No room for 135-year-old library in Central Vista plan? Supreme Court hearing today

Following the publication of the report, the Ministry, in a post, said “it is clarified that space for the Central Secretariat Library has been provided for in the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan. The necessary process for construction of the library is underway.”

Spread over four floors and covering nearly 5,500 square metres in Shastri Bhavan, the CSL contains more than 8.5 lakh books including rare books, official records and gazetteers, and continues to receive a steady stream of visitors including government officials and students preparing for competitive examinations.

The oldest book, in a separate section of rare books in the library, is the compilation of a French traveller’s writings, dating back to 1702.

On September 17, the CPWD wrote to all ministries and departments situated in Shastri Bhavan, saying the complex be vacated, including all furniture, electronic items and other belongings, “at the earliest” as it “needs to be handed over… by the end of September 2026 for the commencement of the construction work”.

Sources said that in January, the Directorate of Estates allotted two rooms, with an area of 300 square metres, at Kartavya Bhavan-2 for the CSL. The Ministry of Culture, which administers the CSL, rejected this, replying that the space allotted was far from sufficient, the sources said.