PATNA, Jan. 11 -- Despite sharp attacks from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Bihar government's building construction department is moving ahead with plans to demolish the existing Bihar Niwas in New Delhi and replace it with a much larger facility, with demolition work expected to begin later this month.

The new structure, a nine-storey complex in a 2B+G+6 configuration, will have roughly three times the built-up area of the current five-storey building and is budgeted at around Rs.123 crore. Tenders have already been awarded, and officials say the project is on track.

Bihar Niwas, located in the heart of the capital near the Central Secretariat, has long served as both an office space for the state government and a transit accommo...