Emergency Ops Centre To Replace Jinxed Delhi Bungalow

A modern Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is set to come up at 33, Sham Nath Marg, where the government had decided to demolish a sprawling colonial-era bungalow, long regarded as “jinxed” in Delhi’s political and administrative circles.

Sharing details with HT on Thursday, officials familiar with the development, said the facility, which will be under the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response in the Capital.

“The government has decided that the bungalow will serve as the location for the centre. Public Works Department (PWD) will carry out the construction and a feasibility study will be conducted before work begins,” said a senior government official.

To prepare for the project, a Delhi government team recently visited the Health Emergency Operations Centre in Bengaluru to study its command-and-control systems, inter-agency coordination mechanisms and use of technology in disaster management. Officials said lessons from the visit will help shape the design and operations of Delhi’s proposed centre.

At present, the EOC functions from the DDMA office in Civil Lines.

“The current setup has limited space. Once a disaster-related call is verified, fire, police and CATS teams are alerted. The district magistrate and rescue teams are also informed, while the EOC monitors and coordinates the response,” the official said.

The new centre is expected to house representatives from multiple government departments as well as agencies such as New Delhi Municipal Council, the Delhi Development Authority, and Delhi Police.

“Currently, different agencies operate separate command-and-control centres. This affects coordination and communication during emergencies,” the official added.

The two-storey structure, built in the 1920s, has remained largely unoccupied for more than two decades, according to officials. The Public Works Department (PWD) repeatedly failed to secure a permanent occupant despite multiple attempts, with Delhi’s political class branding the property as “jinxed”.

HT had reported in April this year that the building was set to be demolished and replaced with a new office complex. Officials had said the redevelopment plan aims to put the prime land parcel to functional use by constructing a modern office building.

The move comes amid growing concerns over Delhi’s vulnerability to earthquakes, floods, fires, building collapses and industrial accidents.

In her Budget 2026-27 speech, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced an allocation of ₹10 crore for setting up a state-of-the-art EOC. The decision to establish the centre and an Integrated Command and Control Centre was taken at a DDMA meeting in March following a fire at a Palam Colony residence that claimed nine lives.

Officials said the proposed centres will act as the nerve centre for disaster management in Delhi, enabling real-time coordination and predictive analytics using artificial intelligence and satellite data. The EOC will support faster responses to floods, earthquakes, fires, chemical accidents and other emergencies.

The four-bedroom bungalow was originally intended to serve as the official residence of Delhi’s chief minister. Spread across a large compound, it includes expansive lawns, fountains, an outhouse and staff quarters. However, the property had acquired a reputation over the decades as an unlucky address for its occupants.

Delhi’s first chief minister, Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, moved into the residence in 1952 but left office before completing his term in 1955. After the Delhi Assembly was revived in 1993, the bungalow was allotted to chief minister Madan Lal Khurana. He resigned in 1996 following allegations linked to the hawala case, further adding to the property’s “jinxed” image.

His successor, Saheb Singh Verma, chose not to live there with his family and used it only as a camp office. He too did not complete a full term.

Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit also decided against moving into the bungalow after taking office in 1998, preferring to stay at her private residence.

Over the years, the property was used occasionally for official meetings and press conferences. The last full-time political occupant was former labour minister Deep Chand Bandhu, who lived there until his death in 2003.

Since then, the bungalow has largely remained vacant, with only a few short-term occupants, including senior bureaucrats.

Several alternative uses were explored over the years. PWD considered converting it into a state guest house, while in 2015 the Aam Aadmi Party government turned it into the office of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDDC), a policy advisory body. However, the DDDC was dissolved on the orders of the lieutenant governor in 2022, and the premises were vacated once again.

Saloni Bhatia is a journalist with over 15 years of experience in reporting and storytelling, with a strong focus on the Delhi government and political developments in the Capital. Over the years, she has closely tracked policy decisions, governance issues, and political shifts. She started off as an entertainment journalist but then moved to covering beats like crime and education. Her experience on the crime beat helped her develop an eye for detail and accuracy, while education reporting allowed her to explore policy impact on students, teachers and institutions. Outside the newsroom, she enjoys reading both fiction and non-fiction. She also has a keen interest in watching Bollywood films.Read More