A ‘Dharma Chakra’ on the top of the six-storey Thal Sena Bhawan to make it visible from far, new modern offices for Army officers in an all-green building, a huge gymnasium, a Thal Sena sunken garden for recreation and celebrations, and a special ceremonial walkway for events — Indian Army’s new headquarters will have all this and much more.
The government on Wednesday invited tenders for building the Indian Army’s new headquarters in Delhi Cantonment, the Thal Sena Bhawan, at a cost of Rs 757 crore. The project is to be completed within 27 months, it is specified.
News18 reviewed the tender document, which has fresh pictures of how the project would look once ready in the year 2025.
This comes over two years after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of the project in February 2020. The Military Engineering Services (MES) has invited the bids now, saying the firm which will build the project in 27 months will continue to maintain and operate it for the following five years.
The document says it should be a high-quality construction, maximising sustainability concepts with GRIHA IV compliance to be obtained in view of all-green building norms. The latest and modern construction technologies will be used, maximising the natural surroundings and attributes to the extent possible and completing the project within time with cost being the priority.
A highlight of the six-story building will be a ‘Dharma Chakra’ on the top. “The iconic building itself is planned to be visible from far-away distances,” the document says, adding that the site edges pose a strong element to pronounce the grandness of the site.
Modern offices for officers of top Army ranks including Lt. General, Major General and Brigadier are planned in the building. There will be a separate four-storied building called the Infrastructure Complex Hall as well as a huge gymnasium for officers and a central library. The accommodation complex will be a separate building.
Abutting the main building will be an expansive arena of spaces for recreation as well as celebration. “The Thal Sena sunken garden is planned with steps to function as seating areas. A 9m wide processional path is aimed to serve as a ceremonial walkway for Army events. This is flanked by a display garden with plazas planned to serve as spaces for the display of Army artefacts,” the document has elaborated.
The project was granted environmental clearance earlier this year. There is a restriction on the maximum height of buildings to be constructed at the site, due to its proximity to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The restriction on height imposed by the Airports Authority of India is 282.49 meters for such multi-storey buildings.
The new building located opposite Manekshaw centre in Delhi cantonment will be spread over 39 acres and will bring together the offices of the Army headquarters spread across New Delhi inside a single building, thus improving efficiency and streamlining logistical requirements. The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will operate from the new building, even as the Army chief would continue having his office in South Block and Sena Bhawan, which houses several offices of Army headquarters, will continue to exist.
As per the Army, Army Headquarters is located across South Block, Sena Bhawan, Hutments Area, RK Puram, and Shankar Vihar, among others. The Army had said about 7.5 lakh sqm of area will be constructed for the office complex and parking and 6,014 offices will be constructed, which will include offices for 1,684 officers — and 4,330 sub-staff. It will also comprise a residential area for security personnel and include other basic amenities.
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