New Delhi: Two of Delhi’s long-standing government office complexes, Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, are set to be vacated and demolished as part of the ongoing Central Vista redevelopment project.
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has asked ministries and government departments occupying the two buildings to complete their relocation and hand over the premises by September 30, 2026.
The sites are earmarked for the construction of Kartavya Bhawan 4 and 5, two administrative blocks planned under the Central Vista redevelopment programme. According to a CPWD communication dated September 16, the tender for construction of the two buildings has already been awarded.
Since the new administrative complexes are proposed to come up on the existing sites of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, the buildings have to be cleared before construction activity can begin.
Ministries Asked to Complete Shifting
The CPWD has directed the concerned ministries and departments to complete the shifting process on priority and hand over possession of the premises to facilitate the execution of the construction project.
Several ministries have already moved out of the two buildings and shifted to alternative office complexes, including the newly developed Kartavya Bhawans. However, some divisions and officials continue to operate from Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, making the final phase of relocation necessary.
The vacation plan had earlier been put on hold around May because some divisions of key ministries, including the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), were still functioning from the two buildings.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been allocated space at Soochna Bhawan on Lodhi Road, while MEA divisions have been shifted to the Samrat Hotel complex on Kautilya Marg in Chanakyapuri.
Shastri Bhawan Ministries Shifted Earlier
Shastri Bhawan has for decades housed several important Union ministries and departments. Among the ministries that operated from the building were Information and Broadcasting, Culture, Education, and Law and Justice.
These ministries were shifted to Kartavya Bhawan 2 in January as part of the broader consolidation of government offices under the Central Vista plan.
Krishi Bhawan, another prominent government office complex in central Delhi, has similarly accommodated ministries and departments associated with agriculture and rural development and other government functions.
The relocation of offices from the two buildings is therefore part of a wider exercise to move government establishments into newer, purpose-built administrative complexes.
Demolition of Government Complexes Gathers Pace
The proposed demolition of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan follows the removal of other prominent government office buildings in the Central Vista area.
Nirman Bhawan has already been demolished, while demolition work at Udyog Bhawan began in June.
The changes are gradually reshaping the government-office landscape around central Delhi, with older buildings being replaced by a network of new administrative complexes.
Ten Kartavya Bhawans Planned
The redevelopment is part of the Common Central Secretariat component of the Central Vista project. The government has planned 10 Kartavya Bhawans to accommodate ministries and departments currently spread across multiple office locations.
The new complexes are intended to provide modern, technology-enabled workplaces and consolidate government offices into integrated administrative facilities.
With the construction tender for Kartavya Bhawan 4 and 5 already awarded, the September 30 deadline marks a key step before the existing Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan sites can be handed over for the next phase of construction.
