The government will set up a large ‘Defence Enclave’ to house top defence brass and personnel under its ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project.
The vice president’s house and its nearby buildings will be demolished to pave the way for constructing the defence enclave. The new residence of the vice president will come up near the North Block.
At present, the defence minister, his deputy, defence secretary, Army chief, Navy chief as well as several three-star officers have their offices at the South Block.
The offices of the Navy, Army and Air Force are also spread across several parts of central Delhi, including the Lutyens’ Zone. Many operate from hutments near the North and South Blocks.
The new enclave will be constructed by 2026 and this will be part of the ten buildings to be constructed under the common central secretariat.
The redevelopment of the Central Vista — the nation’s power corridor — envisages a new parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new prime minister’s residence and prime minister’s office, and a new vice president enclave.
The new parliament building will be completed by November 2022, the prime minister’s residence by December 2022, vice president’s enclave by September 2022, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) by April 2023, MP chambers by March 2024, National Archives of India by June 2024 and Central Conference Centre by December 2026 among others.
