Delhi drops skywalk plan for ITO secretariat redevelopment

Delhi has dropped a proposal for two secretariat towers linked by a skywalk at ITO and instead plans separate buildings on either side of the intersection, PWD minister Parvesh Verma said.

Verma said the revised redevelopment plan calls for the demolition of the existing income-tax office and PWD headquarters. The income-tax department is to move to the present PWD headquarters site, where the Delhi government has about eight acres and plans to accommodate some ancillary departments.

Across the road, the government plans to combine a five-acre government parcel with the five-acre income-tax office site to create a 10-acre Delhi Secretariat complex. Verma said it is intended to bring together departments currently operating from different locations, including revenue, labour, GST, education, transport, excise, and food and civil supplies.

The PWD will undertake construction, while the income-tax department will pay for developing its new office, Verma said. He said the department has agreed in principle to join the redevelopment, subject to receiving built-up space suited to its operational needs.

Verma said PWD considered locations including Khyber Pass, Rajghat power plant, Indraprastha Estate and the ITO bus depot in 2025 before retaining ITO for the project.