JAMMU, Feb 20: The Jammu and Kashmir government is racing ahead with shiny new official residences in big cities like Dwarka and Navi Mumbai to better serve its people, even as plans to revamp the prime J&K House at 5, Prithviraj Road in Delhi hit a wall of strict heritage rules.
Answering MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone in the Legislative Assembly, the Hospitality & Protocol Minister laid out the full strategy. The Prithviraj project is top priority, but its spot in the fancy Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone means no touching the heritage main building without Prime Minister’s Office okay. They’re drafting an Expression of Interest now, but have to scrap old staff quarters and PWD offices in the no-build buffer zone. “We’re working with agencies for the smartest fix that fits more people,” the minister said.
No such headaches elsewhere. In Dwarka, they’re lining up a fresh J&K Bhawan on bought land—models like CPWD or EPC up for grabs. Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar site has a Detailed Project Report cooking, with ₹125 lakh budgeted this year and a whopping ₹2,090 lakh for Dwarka.
Other updates: Chandigarh’s old SCo building is turning into a proper J&K House (₹640 lakh kicked off). Rajaji Marg’s Kashmir House got upgrades—no new builds allowed, but staff quarters are rebuilding in phases (₹3,661.50 lakh). Chanakyapuri’s too cramped for extras; Amritsar’s eyeing adds on empty plots.
It’s all phased out once reports finalize and clearances land, showing J&K’s smart play to upgrade footprints nationwide.
