New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Defence Offices Complexes at Delhi's Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Africa Avenue on Thursday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS General Bipin Rawat, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Army chief General MM Naravane were also present during the event.
The complex has been inaugurated under the Central Vista Project.
After the inauguration, PM Modi addressed the gathering and said that the office is equipped with modern amenities which will improve the work of the defence forces.
PM Modi said, " Today Delhi is progressing in line with 'New India' vision. These new Defence office complexes will now make it feasible for our armies to operate in better working conditions with all modern amenities."
PM Modi further said, "When we talk about the capital, it is not just a city. The capital of any country is a symbol of the thinking, determination, strength and culture of that country. India is the mother of democracy. Therefore, the capital of India should be people-friendly".
PM Modi also emphasized the fact the construction which was to be completed in 24 months has been completed in a record time of only 12 months even when the country faced a labour crisis due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He said that hundreds of workers got employment in this project during the Coronavirus period.
PM also discussed the Central Vista Project which was being criticised by the opposition parties and said that the government is are focusing on Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business and modern infrastructure plays an equally important role in this. Therefore, the Central Vista project will revamp the way India works and will make the country efficient. PM also mentioned that the office is completely eco friendly and no trees were cut during its construction.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also addressed the event and said, "Previous buildings were in a tattered state, affected working conditions of our officers...Optimum utilisation of space was not done, which is why this complex has been brought up. Over 7,000 workers can be accommodated in good working conditions".
The new defence offices complexes will accommodate around 7,000 officials from the Ministry of defence and the armed forces, including Army, Navy and Air Force, the PMO said in a release on Wednesday. It added that the buildings will provide modern, secure and functional working spaces.
An Integrated Command and Control Centre has been established for managing building operations, while also catering to the end to end safety and surveillance of both the buildings.
The new Defence Office Complexes are state-of-the-art and energy-efficient, with comprehensive security management measures. One of the defining features of these buildings is the use of new and sustainable construction technology called LGSF (Light gauge steel frame), which reduced construction time from 24-30 months in the case of conventional RCC construction, as mentioned in the statement released by PMO.
The buildings utilize resource-efficient green technology and promote environment-friendly practices