Delhi Confidential: Showing Up

In a rare appearance at a BJP event in Delhi, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated 25 Atal Canteens on Sunday to commemorate former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 8th death anniversary. Known for his reluctance to attend party gatherings, Naidu made an exception to join Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi, and other senior leaders for a meal.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry is set to relocate from the historic Krishi Bhawan in Lutyens' Delhi, where demolition of the building is expected to begin soon. Both ministries will be moving to the government office complex at Netaji Nagar in South Delhi, with the sites of Krishi Bhawan and neighboring Shastri Bhawan to be redeveloped into new secretariat buildings.

Following the Cabinet Secretariat's notification in July, the bifurcation of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has caused some adjustment for the two new departments. However, sources indicate that the majority of projects under the CPWD and NBCC, the two construction arms of the ministry, are located outside Delhi.

Urban transport, as well as the Delhi Metro and National Capital Region Technology Corporation (NCRTC), are under the purview of the Department of Urban Development, despite DMRC acting as a consultant on metro projects beyond the capital. Efforts are underway to clarify some of the issues surrounding the changes.