New Delhi, Nov. 2 -- With the end of an era, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth, Vice Chief and seven Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) will move out of South Block and into the newly built Shaurya Bhavan at Delhi Cantonment, as their new headquarters by the end of November, reports suggest. Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will also move out of South Block, along with his Vice Chief and Principal Staff Officers, to the new headquarters at Sena Bhavan, at Rajaji Marg.
The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and Army war room will also be moved. However, it is still unclear where the Navy war room will be located as it requires large infrastructure, secure communication and technology.
As the Navy has already built Nausena Bhavan at Delhi Cantonment in 2024, they were originally supposed to build the new headquarters next to DRDO Headquarters. However, it has now been requested that they vacate the land they have been allocated.
The move comes as government offices are being restructured as part of the Central Vista redevelopment. The Defence Ministry has moved to Kartavya Bhavan 2 temporarily and will move permanently to Kartavya Bhavan 6 and 7 once complete.
Currently, only the CDS has an office in Kartavya Bhavan 2 meaning General Seth will have to move from Shaurya Bhavan in Delhi Cantonment to meet with the defence minister and senior government officials at Kartavya Bhavan 2 until the new buildings are completed.
Kartavya Bhavan 6 and 7 will also have more offices for the service chiefs.
Officers working under the DMA, such as the DG DIA will also move out of South Block.
The move of the Army and Navy leadership out of South Block means that the long-standing arrangement of having the two service chiefs and senior military officers working out of South Block will end. Operational offices will also be moved, including the Army War Room and DGMO office.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.