New DC building in Chandigarh: Official apathy pushes construction to next year
For a project proposed in 2018, six years later, the Chandigarh administration has yet to get the ₹125-crore budget cleared from the central government
Expected to commence in April, construction of the new building for the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Sector 17 is now not likely to take off until the next financial year.
Reason: For a project proposed in 2018, six years later, the UT administration has yet to get the ₹125-crore budget cleared from the central government. For any project costing over ₹100 crore, the administration requires Centre’s clearance.
After mooting the proposal to relocate the DC office within Sector 17 in 2018, the administration had identified the vacant two-acre land next to Hotel Shivalikview for the project.
UT had finalised a Delhi-based consultant for the project in February 2023, with plans to start construction by year-end after preparation of the detailed project report.
In the meantime, tenders were floated for conducting the soil capacity check of the project site. Completed by August 2023, the investigation report had cleared the site for the new building.
By scrutinising the chemical and physical composition of the soil, checks were conducted to assess the site’s capability to withstand the structural load of the building.
But 10 months later, the administration has yet to get the project cleared from the central government, thereby pushing it further to next financial year.
UT chief engineer CB Ojha explained, “At present, layouts for interior design are being worked out. We will be soon sending an estimate of ₹125 crore to the Union government for approval. After the budget is allocated, construction will begin in the next financial year and is expected to take two years to complete.”
The building will feature future-proof technologies with minimal carbon footprint and conform to a 5-star GRIHA rating.
The seven-storey building will have parking space for around 600 cars in the basement. It will also house several offices, including those of the Registering and Licensing Authority, registrar co-operative societies, excise and taxation department, census department, election department, revenue department, tehsildar office, food and supplies department, labour department, industries department, colony rehabilitation wing, building branch, and Red Cross.
Incorporating the latest environmental norms, the building will have a sewage treatment plant and rooftop solar power plant, to generate its own tertiary treated water and electricity.
After the DC Office is relocated, the existing building, near the TS Central State Library in Sector 17, is proposed to be converted into a modern art gallery with an amphitheatre in front of it.
