Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is set to begin working from his new office in the newly constructed Ellerslie Phase-II building at the state secretariat during the Sharadiya Navratri period. Construction of the Chief Minister’s new office is nearly complete, and final arrangements related to its operations are currently being completed. The new office has been designed with modern facilities, with a focus on providing better arrangements for both government officials and members of the public.
To review the preparations and assess the progress of construction work at the building, a joint team of officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) and the General Administration Department (GAD) conducted an inspection. The team reviewed the ongoing activities and assessed the arrangements required to make the office operational at the earliest.
The new Chief Minister’s Office in the Ellerslie Phase-II building includes a meeting hall with seating capacity for around 100 officials. The facility is considered important from an administrative perspective, as it will allow a large number of officials from different departments to attend meetings chaired by the Chief Minister at a single location.
Along with providing more space for official work, the new office has also been designed with the convenience of the general public in mind. People from different districts and remote areas of Himachal Pradesh regularly travel to the state secretariat to meet the Chief Minister. Many travel long distances to present their complaints, personal problems and issues concerning their respective areas.
Due to limited space in the previous office premises, visitors often had difficulty finding suitable places to sit while waiting. On several occasions, people had to wait from the main entrance of the secretariat to the inner areas of the premises for their turn. Those travelling from distant areas faced considerable inconvenience because they had to remain standing for long periods.
The new arrangement is expected to help reduce these difficulties. Better utilisation of space within the new office complex could allow a more organised waiting system for people visiting the Chief Minister. This is also expected to make the public grievance hearing process more convenient.
The large meeting hall designed for administrative meetings is another significant feature of the new office. With a capacity of approximately 100 officials, the hall will be useful for collective meetings, departmental reviews and administrative discussions involving the Chief Minister and senior officials. It will also make it easier to organise meetings with representatives from multiple departments.
Following the inspection by the joint PWD and GAD team, emphasis is now being placed on completing the remaining arrangements. According to the government’s plan, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will begin official operations from the new office during Sharadiya Navratri.
The shift to the new office is expected to provide a more organised environment for the Chief Minister’s administrative activities. At the same time, facilities for members of the public visiting the secretariat may also improve. In particular, the availability of better seating and waiting arrangements could be a significant improvement for people travelling from remote areas to raise their grievances.
The opening of the new office is being viewed not only as an expansion of administrative facilities at the secretariat but also as a step toward making the public grievance hearing system more convenient. Its actual impact on the day-to-day functioning of the Chief Minister’s Office and the experience of visitors wi
