Space for library provided in Central Vista plan: Ministry

Spread over four floors and an area of nearly 5,500 sq m, the CSL contains more than 8.5 lakh books, including rare books, official records and gazetteers. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)

With the Central Secretariat Library set to be moved out of its premises in Shastri Bhawan, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on Thursday said that space for the library had been provided in the Central Vista redevelopment plan.

“Contrary to a few reports, it is clarified that space for the Central Secretariat Library has been provided for in the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan. The necessary process for construction of the library is underway,” the Ministry said in a post on X.

The Indian Express had reported on Wednesday that the library, which is currently spread over four floors, was facing uncertainty as the MoHUA had only allotted two rooms in Kartavya Bhawan-2 complex. The MoHUA had not responded to requests for comment for the same.

The MoHUA had ordered all Ministries to vacate Shastri Bhawan by the end of September to pave the way for its demolition and redevelopment.

The MoHUA had written to the Culture Ministry, which oversees the library, on January 16 that two rooms had been allotted for the library in Kartavya Bhawan-2. The Culture Ministry wrote back on February 26 that the space allotted was “inadequate to accommodate the full collection and facilities” and that “complete relocation is not feasible.”

The library, originally set up as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Kolkata in 1891, was moved to Delhi when the British shifted the capital in 1911. It was moved to North Block after its construction in the 1930s and finally to Shastri Bhawan in 1969. It spans four floors and includes 8.5 lakh books.