South body to name its new HQ after Atal
NEW DELHI: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Wednesday decided to name its under-construction headquarters near Pragati Maidan, which will be the tallest building in the city, after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who passed away on August 16.
The proposal was moved by SDMC mayor Narendra Chawla in the house meeting on Wednesday and supported by councillors from all political parties.
“I had earlier sent the proposal to the secretary for getting it approved from the SDMC’S naming committee before presenting in the house,” said Chawla
The move comes soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership had reportedly expressed unhappiness following the controversy over renaming Ramlila Maidan in Delhi after Vajpayee and directed its leaders in Delhi’s municipal corporations to desist from making any announcement associating the former PM’S name to any project or scheme without discussing the matter with the higher-ups.
The mayor said, “We have informed the senior party leaders about the decision. Also, unlike Ramilila Maidan, which has a historical importance, we have decided to name our upcoming project after the name of the late former PM,” said Chawla.
While some BJP leaders refused to react others did not respond to phone calls and text messages for a quote.
In July 2017, the civic body had signed a memorandum of understanding with NBCC, a PSU, for construction of its headquarters at IP Estate on Ring Road. The corporation hopes that the building will be ready by August 2020.
“It will be tallest building in the city with 30 floors, spread over 8.75 acres. As of now, work for demarcating the boundary and shifting the high tension wires is going on at the site. Also, PWD has barricaded a portion of land for constructing a tunnel. The construction will start as soon as these jobs are done,” an SDMC official said.
After trifurcation of the MCD which had its office at the Town Hall, the SDMC and its north Delhi counterpat share their headquarters at the Civic Centre. The East Delhi civic body has its headquarters in Patparganj.