Mantralaya annexe to be rebuilt entirely

If chief minister Devendra Fadnavis gives his assent, the annexe building of Mantralaya will be demolished and a new structure will come up in its place. The public works department (PWD) has prepared a plan to reconstruct the extended building of Mantralaya and make available all facilities given to the main building like centralised air conditioning. The main Mantralaya building was renovated three years ago after a fire broke out in a department, killing five people. The PWD has also prepared a plan for underground parking in the state secretariat.

PWD minister Chandrakant Patil confirmed the move about reconstruction of annexe. “The proposal is at primary stage. We want the annexe to have the same facilities as the main Mantralaya building,” Mr Patil told The Asian Age.

The minister added that the department’s immediate priority is to create an underground parking facility at Mantralaya, as was planned earlier. “We have proposed the underground parking plan of Rs 59 crore. A presentation will be given to the chief minister,” Mr Patil said.

Sources in Mantralaya said that the department wants to demolish the annexe and reconstruct it. The demolition of the building will make the construction easy. The cost of the construction would be lower compared to its renovation. Interestingly, the BJP, when it was in the Opposition, had opposed the demolition of Mantralaya, sources said.

As per the proposed renovation, the second part of Mantralaya will have centralised air conditioning, better sitting arrangement, fire-resistant offices, more open spaces, concealed wiring, better toilet facilities for employees, open passages and easy escape routes in case of emergencys.

Three floors were gutted in the Mantralaya fire and several important documents, computers and furniture were destroyed. However, the renovation process for the main building took a long time and still it has failed to meet the expectations of the government.