Construction of the Rajaswa Bhawan as the National Tax Headquarters Approved

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 24 September 2013 approved the construction of the Rajaswa Bhawan as the National Tax Headquarters at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi at an estimated cost of 485.16 crore Rupees, which will be incurred over a period of next three and a half years. Apart from this, 15 crore Rupees will be incurred as the annual recurring expenditure after completion of the project.

About the Project

• The construction of the Rajaswa Bhawan, the National Tax Headquarters, in a plot of land measuring 5.65 acre has been undertaken with the objective of decongesting North Block and consolidating the establishment of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) at a common platform.
• CBDT and CBEC, apart from advising the Government on tax policies, are responsible for the overall administration of field offices under them. Both these boards are the largest revenue collectors for the Government of India.
• Because of the growth in revenue collection, there became a need of a larger platform. Therefore, a composite building bringing together both the Boards and associated offices was proposed. This will help in efficiency because of appropriate physical infrastructure and work environment for the purpose of tax administration.
Background
• The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) was appointed as the agency for construction of the building in 2008 after obtaining approval of the Ministry of Defence and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the Ministry of Urban Development.
• A nation-wide architectural design competition, was conducted in 2010-2011 and out of 58 final entries, the first prize award winner M/s Vistaar Architects and Planners, Mumbai was selected by a Board of Assessors and appointed as the main architect for the project for providing comprehensive architectural services.
• The design of the building is a modern, State-of-the-Art centrally located green building incorporating features of energy efficiency in conformity with the Energy Conservation Building Code [ECBC] recommendation.
• The building also received Green Building concept leading to favorable Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment [GRIHA]; fire protection and detection in conformity with all regulations; provision for seismic safety in conformity with all applicable Bureau of Indian Standards [BIS] codes; comprehensive waste management system; sewage treatment and recycling of water including independent system for grey and white water; minimal hard landscape and maximum soft landscape.