The Maharashtra government is planning to build a new ground-plus-seven-storey building within the Mantralaya complex. This decision comes because the state is finding it difficult to accommodate its 42-member council of ministers and their staff.
As per reports, the new structure will replace the current small garden at the site. The project is estimated to cost INR 99 crore. Sources also suggest that the public works department (PWD) has already issued a tender for the construction.
The issue of space has increased after the formation of a full cabinet. Each minister is required to provide 2,000 square feet of office space for their staff. However, the existing building cannot meet this requirement.
Currently, the sixth floor of the Mantralaya houses the offices of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde. Some of their secretariat staff work on the seventh floor. Other ministers from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP coalition have smaller cabins.
The new building will occupy 2,562 square meters of the 27,324-square-meter Mantralaya premises. Its total built-up area will be 7,770 square meters, or approximately 83,636 square feet. The facility is expected to seat 10 ministers, with three ministers on each floor.
Despite the lack of parking space in the complex, the new building does not include a basement parking lot for ministerial vehicles. A long-pending plan to construct a 400-space parking facility below the Mahatma Gandhi statue remains stalled.
A significant fire in 2012 destroyed parts of the Mantralaya building. Following this, four major government departments were relocated to offices outside the secretariat. These include public health, medical education, rural development, and water supply and sanitation.
At that time, the chief secretary had proposed removing cabins for joint secretaries and officers below that rank to create more space. However, the idea was abandoned after officers threatened to strike. The government is now considering moving these departments into the Air India building after completing its acquisition.
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