\The government has begun the process of building a new official residence for the Prime Minister, with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) issuing a request for pre-qualification bids on October 1.

The CPWD invited bids from construction businesses to participate in the tendering process as part of the larger Central Vista redevelopment plan. The CPWD predicted the project (building and maintenance for five years) would cost Rs 3.6 billion and take 21 months to complete, according to the pre-qualification paperwork. The pre-qualification period will last until October 14, after which qualifying bidders will be required to submit financial offers.

The Prime Minister’s residence complex would come up “adjacent to Rashtrapati Bhawan and South Block and opposite to DRDO building in Blocks A & B, Dara Shikoh Road, New Delhi”, the CPWD document said.