Demolition of Udyog Bhawan in central Delhi has started under the Central Vista redevelopment project, a senior government official said on Monday, adding that the Centre plans additional off-road parking spaces and a redesign of traffic circulation in the area to ease the anticipated congestion.
The work to raze the iconic Udyog Bhawan started after Nirman Bhawan – located next to it – was demolished in mid-May. Both buildings were part of a post-Independence expansion of central ministerial offices, constructed between 1956 and 1968. As the Central Vista redevelopment gathered pace, ministries from both buildings were shifted to Kartavya Bhawan-3 and other new Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings. Those which could not move immediately were temporarily relocated to interim premises on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Minto Road, and Netaji Nagar.
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Udyog Bhawan, designed by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) architect RI Gehlote, was completed around 1957 and housed the ministries of commerce and industry, heavy industries, and micro, small and medium enterprises. Nirman Bhawan, built around the same time, was the long-time headquarters of the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), which is managing the Central Vista overhaul. It also accommodated the ministry of health and family welfare, and the department of science and technology.
Udyog Bhawan and its contemporaries – Krishi Bhawan, Rail Bhawan and Vigyan Bhawan – were all designed by CPWD architects and showcase a modernist plan form dressed in Indian motifs such as overhanging chajjas, chattris, and prominent domes. These were meant to give an Indian character while visually harmonising with the Lutyens buildings around them.
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The traffic management measures are part of plans to address anticipated congestion in the heart of the Capital, where seven new CCS buildings under construction will come up in the next two years. “Some non-heritage buildings that are eyesores could be cleared to create multi-level parkings,” an official said.
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Besides, the government is also examining AI-based adaptive traffic signal systems for the Central Vista area. The proposal, under consideration by the ministry of home affairs and other agencies, would use traffic data from cameras and other sources to alter signal timings instead of relying on fixed cycles. Under an earlier proposal, only the Central Vista area was to be equipped with this AI-based signalling, but now the entire city — starting with Central Vista — will get the technology.
Another official had said MoHUA will consult the ministry of electronics and information technology on whether popular online map services can be told to discourage private vehicles in the Central Vista area. The official said efforts are on to make Kartavya Path lawns and the Yuge Yugeen museum more accessible by bus and metro.
