Shastri, Krishi Bhawan to be vacated for Kartavya Bhawan work
The CPWD has asked government departments to vacate and hand over the Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan premises by the end of September, paving the way for construction of Kartavya Bhawan 4 and 5 in central Delhi. The tender for KB-4 and KB-5, first floated in January 2026 and re-tendered in June, now pegs the cost at ₹3,155.41 crore against ₹3,006.07 crore, a rise of ₹149.34 crore or nearly 4.97%. The first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings, built at ₹3,690 crore, were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August.
Source
Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- CPWD has asked departments to vacate Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan by end of September. — Attributed to CPWD in the source; no document cited.
- Current tender pegs KB-4 and KB-5 cost at ₹3,155.41 crore against ₹3,006.07 crore in January, a rise of ₹149.34 crore or nearly 4.97%. — Figures appear in the source and are internally consistent.
- Tender was first floated in January 2026 and re-tendered in June. — Attributed to earlier HT reporting; date sequence cannot be externally verified here.
- Revised tender expands combined CCS-4 and CCS-5 footprint by 115 sq m due to design optimisation. — Attributed to an unnamed official quoted in the source.
- First three Kartavya Bhawan buildings cost ₹3,690 crore and were inaugurated by PM Modi in August this year. — Figure appears in source; attribution is to officials/HT reporting.
Analysts’ view opinion
The Central Vista redevelopment has moved from the symbolic phase to the administrative one — clearing Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan means phasing out Secretariat buildings from the 1950s and 1960s, which carries an unmistakable political message. Launching the next phase so soon after Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings in August reinforces a narrative of a government that finishes what it starts. At the same time, the ₹149.34 crore (about 4.97%) increase and the need to re-tender hand the opposition a familiar line of attack about cost and priorities.
- The naming and the replacement of older buildings make this more than an infrastructure project: it is a political stamp on the physical face of the capital.
- Beginning the next phase within months of the August inauguration fits a strategy built on visible delivery and speed.
- A roughly 5% cost rise is modest in technical terms, but headline figures (₹3,155 crore now, ₹3,690 crore earlier) are easy ammunition in political debate.
- Officials attributing the rise to design modification and costlier but faster technology signals that meeting the timeline is the government's priority — a politically logical choice.
- Any friction in relocating ministries and managing interim arrangements could generate quiet bureaucratic discontent, a smaller but real political cost.
What to watch — Watch whether the end-September vacation deadline holds, how quickly the tender is awarded, and how loudly the opposition presses the cost-escalation argument.
The story records no party positions or criticism, and establishes nothing about the political calculations behind the project, the relocation logistics, or the final cost.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has told government departments to vacate Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan in central Delhi by the end of September, clearing the ground for Kartavya Bhawan (KB) 4 and 5 — the next phase of the Central Secretariat redevelopment under the Central Vista project. Both bhawans were built during the post-Independence expansion of the Central Secretariat in the 1950s and 1960s to house the Union government's growing administrative machinery beyond the original North and South Blocks. The first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings, built at a sanctioned cost of ₹3,690 crore, were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August this year. The tender for KB-4 and KB-5 has been re-issued at a nearly 5% higher cost.
Key facts
- CPWD has asked departments to vacate and hand over Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan premises by the end of September.
- The two bhawans are to be replaced by Kartavya Bhawan 4 and 5 in central Delhi.
- Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan were constructed during the post-Independence expansion of the Central Secretariat in the 1950s and 1960s.
- The tender for KB-4 and KB-5 was first floated in January 2026 and re-tendered in June.
- Current tender cost: ₹3,155.41 crore against ₹3,006.07 crore in the January tender — an increase of ₹149.34 crore, or nearly 4.97%.
- The revised tender expands the combined footprint of Common Central Secretariat (CCS) 4 and CCS-5 by 115 square metres.
- The first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings were built at a sanctioned cost of ₹3,690 crore and inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in August this year.
- KB-4 and KB-5 are seven-storey structures planned for completion within a two-year construction timeline using relatively more expensive technology.
Timeline
- 1950s and 1960sShastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan built during the post-Independence expansion of the Central Secretariat beyond North and South Blocks.
- January 2026 (as stated in the source)Tender for construction of KB-4 and KB-5 first floated at ₹3,006.07 crore.
- JuneProject re-tendered at ₹3,155.41 crore, nearly 5% higher than the original estimate.
- August this yearPM Narendra Modi inaugurates the first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings, built at a sanctioned cost of ₹3,690 crore.
- End of SeptemberDeadline set by CPWD for departments to vacate and hand over Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan.
Who has a stake
- Central Public Works Department (CPWD) — Executing agency; has issued the vacate-and-hand-over instruction and floated the tenders for KB-4 and KB-5.
- Ministries and departments in Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan — Must vacate premises by end-September and relocate their offices during construction.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs / Union Minister Manohar Lal — Oversees the Central Secretariat redevelopment; present at the Kartavya Bhavan inauguration.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi — Inaugurated the first three Kartavya Bhawan buildings in August this year.
- Taxpayers and public exchequer — Bearing project costs — ₹3,690 crore for KB 1-3 and ₹3,155.41 crore for KB-4 and KB-5.
Why it matters
The demolition and replacement of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan marks the next phase of consolidating central ministries into new Kartavya Bhawan blocks, altering how and where the Union government works. The ₹149.34 crore cost escalation before construction even begins, attributed to design optimisation and costlier technology, raises questions of project costing and transparency in large public works.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- CPWD (Central Public Works Department) is the agency executing the Central Secretariat redevelopment.
- Kartavya Bhawan buildings replace older Central Secretariat annexes; KB 1-3 inaugurated by PM Modi in August at a sanctioned cost of ₹3,690 crore.
- KB-4 and KB-5 tender cost: ₹3,155.41 crore, up ₹149.34 crore (about 4.97%) from ₹3,006.07 crore.
- Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan date from the 1950s-60s expansion of the Central Secretariat beyond North and South Blocks.
- The new KB-4 and KB-5 are seven-storey buildings with a planned two-year construction timeline.
- Common Central Secretariat (CCS) 4 and CCS-5 footprint expanded by 115 square metres in the revised tender.
Mains framing
The vacation of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan for Kartavya Bhawan 4 and 5 illustrates the administrative and fiscal dimensions of the Central Secretariat redevelopment. The stated rationale is consolidation: replacing scattered, ageing 1950s-60s annexes with purpose-built seven-storey blocks that concentrate ministries in a Common Central Secretariat, with a compressed two-year construction timeline enabled by costlier technology. The implications are threefold — continuity of governance while departments relocate mid-project; cost discipline, since the re-tender raised the estimate by ₹149.34 crore (nearly 4.97%) to ₹3,155.41 crore even before work began, attributed by officials to converting open and common areas into usable office space and adding 115 square metres of footprint; and questions of heritage and institutional memory attached to buildings that housed the expanding post-Independence state. The way forward, on the source's own terms, lies in transparent disclosure of design changes and cost revisions, phased relocation plans that do not disrupt ministry functioning, and adherence to the declared timeline so that efficiency gains from consolidation are not offset by escalation.
Key terms
- CPWD
- Central Public Works Department, the government agency executing the Kartavya Bhawan construction and issuing vacate orders.
- Kartavya Bhawan (KB)
- New Central Secretariat office buildings in central Delhi; KB 1-3 inaugurated in August, KB-4 and KB-5 now tendered.
- Common Central Secretariat (CCS)
- The consolidated secretariat complex; CCS-4 and CCS-5 correspond to Kartavya Bhawan 4 and 5.
- Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan
- Central Delhi government office buildings from the 1950s-60s, now to be vacated by end-September for redevelopment.
- Re-tendering
- Re-issuing a construction tender; here the June re-tender raised the KB-4 and KB-5 cost by nearly 4.97%.
Practice questions
- Discuss the administrative rationale and fiscal concerns associated with the redevelopment of the Central Secretariat through the Kartavya Bhawan project.
- Cost escalation in large public infrastructure projects is often attributed to 'design optimisation'. Critically examine with reference to the KB-4 and KB-5 tenders.
- How should the government balance heritage and institutional continuity against the need for modern, consolidated administrative infrastructure in central Delhi?
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.