Why Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is a house divided

Delhi Confidential provides an inside look at the power dynamics within India's capital. Recent events have revealed a divide within the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Following a cabinet notification in July, which split the ministry, sources indicate that the two new departments are still adjusting to the change. Construction arms CPWD and NBCC have been placed under the Department of Capital Development, but many of their projects are located outside Delhi.

Urban transport falls under the Department of Urban Development, while Delhi Metro and NCRTC are with the Department of Capital Development, despite DMRC serving as a consultant on metro projects outside the capital. In an effort to clarify these issues, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu made a rare public appearance at a BJP event in Delhi.

He inaugurated 25 Atal Canteens to commemorate former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 8th death anniversary. Naidu, who previously resigned from the BJP for the NDA's Vice President candidacy, broke his usual pattern of avoiding party gatherings to dine with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi, and other senior leaders.

The demolition of Krishi Bhawan, a historic government office in Lutyens' Delhi, is imminent, and its ministries of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry will be moved to Netaji Nagar in South Delhi. Simultaneously, the sites of Krishi Bhawan and Shastri Bhawan are slated to be redeveloped into new secretariat buildings.