Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday performed the stone-laying ceremony for the proposed ‘Thal Sena Bhawan’ of the Army in Delhi cantonment, which will bring together various pockets of the Army headquarters spread across Delhi under one roof.
Observing that there was movement of about 3,000-4,000 vehicles every day from the various Army establishments in the city, Mr. Singh said this would be not required once the ‘Thal Sena Bhawan’ comes up and would significantly reduce fuel consumption, expenses and pollution. “The new building will ensure they can work under one roof,” he stated.
Mr. Singh also stated that the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA) headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will work from here. “This will help in jointness,” he added.
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“The proposed Thal Sena Bhawan will bring all Army HQ offices under one roof thereby improving the working efficiency, while reducing the carbon footprint and logistics requirements,” Army chief Gen. Manoj Naravane said, adding it would also allow more family time for all personnel at peace posting in Delhi.
The building spread over 39 acres opposite Manekshaw centre in Delhi cantonment will bring together Army headquarters split in eight pockets across Delhi. Presently, the Army Headquarters is split into eight pockets across South Block, Sena Bhawan, Hutments Area, R.K. Puram, Shankar Vihar and other places, the Army said. The work was sanctioned to make up the existing deficiency of 44% and also to accommodate the Army Headquarters in one place.
The ‘Thal Sena Bhawan’ is conceptualised as a multi-storey green building adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) norms and will house offices, residential area for security personnel and basic amenities. “Approximately 7.5 lakh sq.m. of area will be constructed to house the office complex and parking. A total of 6,014 offices will be constructed, which will house offices for 1,684 officers — both military and civilian — and 4,330 sub staff,” the Army said.
Stating that the proposed work will generate minimum 2 lakh hours of skilled and unskilled work, one Army officer added, “It is proposed to construct this structure in five years.”
The Army chief would continue to sit in South Block in close proximity to the Defence Minister and the present Army HQ ‘Sena Bhawan’ will continue to exist, though some functions would be shifted to the new complex.
