Delhi: PWD seeks budget to resume GB Pant Campus project in Okhla

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) In a fresh move towards completing the construction of an integrated campus of the GB Pant Engineering College and Polytechnic at Okhla, the Public Works Department (PWD) has sent a proposal to receive funds in the revised budget, officials said on Thursday.

Stuck since last year, the major higher education project has faced funding problems in addition to the permission from the Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC) for cutting trees.

"Due to the non-availability of sufficient funds and the revalidation of tree-cutting permission, the work has been put on hold. The budget has been requested from the government in the revised estimates," a government official said.

The PWD began the project in 2024 after receiving approval from the government in 2019, the official noted, adding that a 22-acre plot in Okhla has been identified for the campus. Approximately Rs 426 crore is the estimated cost of the project.

According to the project plan, the campus will have all modern amenities, including an administration block, hostels, activity areas and workshops.

The construction will take place in two phases. In the first phase, several buildings will be constructed: an administration block with six floors, two academic blocks each with eight floors, a residence tower with ten floors, and a service block, which will have a basement and a ground floor, as mentioned in the plan.

"We have applied for permission to cut trees for the project. In 2021, we received approval from the tree officer and the deputy conservator of forests. However, we need to revalidate this approval due to High Court directions stating that any project involving the cutting of more than 50 trees requires permission from the CEC," added the official.

The campus will also feature a solar power plant, 16 passenger lifts, and comprehensive water drainage and firefighting systems, including a fire alarm equipped with a public announcement system.

Students at the polytechnic, who have raised concerns about the poor state of the infrastructure, have been advocating for an integrated college since 2017. PTI SSM SSM MPL MPL