Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Central Secretariat Library Faces Displacement Amid Central Vista Redevelopment
The Central Secretariat Library is an old library that holds many books and important government records.
It has been in Shastri Bhawan since 1969, but that building is set to be demolished for a redevelopment project.
The article says a permanent new home for the library has not yet been clearly planned.
Old and fragile books need special care, not just boxes or ordinary storage.
The writer says the library helps people understand how the government has worked over time.
Another collection, from Tulsi Sadan Library, has remained mostly packed away since it closed temporarily in 2011.
The writer wants the Central Secretariat Library to have a permanent, well-equipped place in the new complex.
The main idea is that building new offices and protecting old knowledge can happen together.
The Central Secretariat Library, housed in Shastri Bhawan since 1969, faces displacement because the building is scheduled for demolition.
The library was established in 1891 and holds more than 850,000 books and documents, including government records and historical materials.
The article says the library still lacks a clearly designated permanent home in the Central Vista redevelopment.
The author argues that preservation requires suitable storage, climate controls, conservation, cataloguing, digitisation and trained staff.
The article cites the Tulsi Sadan Library collection, largely inaccessible since its temporary closure in 2011, as a warning about prolonged displacement.
- Who
- The Central Secretariat Library and the Government of India’s Central Vista redevelopment project.
- What
- The library faces displacement, and the article argues it needs a permanent, properly equipped home.
- When
- The library has been housed in Shastri Bhawan since 1969; the article says the building is scheduled for demolition but gives no demolition date.
- Where
- Shastri Bhawan and the Central Vista redevelopment in New Delhi.
- Why
- Shastri Bhawan is scheduled for demolition as part of the redevelopment, while the library’s future location is not clearly designated.
Preserving the library
Redevelopment priorities
A permanent place in the new complex
Preserving the library
The author argues the Central Secretariat Library should receive a permanent, modern and properly equipped home within the new administrative complex.
Redevelopment priorities
The article says the Central Vista project aims to create a modern administrative centre with new buildings, improved facilities and efficient use of space; it does not present an official response on the library’s placement.
Development and preservation
Preserving the library
The author says redevelopment and preservation are compatible, and that the library’s records are important to institutional memory and public research.
Redevelopment priorities
The article describes the redevelopment’s administrative aims but does not provide a stated opposing position on preserving the collection.
- Library established
- 1891, as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Calcutta
- Current home
- Shastri Bhawan since 1969
- Collection
- More than 8.5 lakh books and documents
- Redevelopment
- Central Vista redevelopment; Shastri Bhawan is scheduled for demolition
- Reported planning
- The Ministry of Culture reportedly sought suitable space for the library in the new Common Central Secretariat in 2023
- Tulsi Sadan closure
- Its regional-language wing closed temporarily in 2011 for construction work associated with the Mandi House Metro station
- Tulsi Sadan collection
- More than two lakh books in 14 Indian languages; most remain packed away, with sections in Assamese, Kannada and Hindi partially reopened