Modi to shift to high-security Rs 150 crore office

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would shift to his newly-built office in Gandhinagar unofficially dubbed as the 'North Block' after 'kamurtas' or the inauspicious period ends in mid-January. Incidentally, the Prime Minister's office is located inside New Delhi's South Block.

The new Rs 150-crore CM’s office complex, built in less than a year, has a south block too modeled on New Delhi's secretariat, where his ministers will have their offices. The complex will be officially called 'Panchamrut', meaning that elixir for six crore Gujaratis will flow from here.

The four-floor building — spread across 35,000 sq ft — has been built by the roads & buildings (R&B) department and designed by a leading Ahmedabad architect, who has also designed the Gujarat high court and Amul dairy building apart from some corporate offices.

Given the security concerns, bullet proof glasses have been used for its windows and doors. The centrally air-conditioned building has a special room for cabinet meetings and will be constantly under CCTV surveillance. "The new CM office is directly connected with the first floor of the state assembly from where the CM, ministers and MLAs can enter the assembly hall," said a senior R&B official.

Modi took keen interest in every detail of the design. Currently, Modi's office is located on the fifth floor of block No.1 in Sachivalaya. Over the past few years, the scope of its activity has expanded considerably, under his centralized style of administration, with a number of staffers occupying space on the second, third and fourth floors.

- Asian Tribune -