The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to establish a dedicated office complex in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), with approvals for the project nearing completion. The proposed 14-storey building, which will include four basement levels, will serve as the agency’s western region headquarters.
ED Director Rahul Navin laid the foundation stone for the project on Monday. The agency has been allotted a 2,200 sq m plot adjacent to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) office building by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for Rs 362 crore.
The ED took possession of the plot in March, allowing the construction process to move forward after delays of nearly four years due to issues related to land allotment and payment procedures.
MMRDA has approved the building layout, while the ED is currently completing the process of securing construction permissions and required no-objection certificates from various authorities. Once construction begins, the project is expected to be completed within 48 months.
At present, the ED’s western region offices operate from two separate locations in Mumbai. Zone-1, which primarily handles cases related to Mumbai, functions from a government building in Mazgaon, while Zone-2, responsible for cases from other parts of Maharashtra, operates from the third floor of Ceejay House in Worli.
The special director’s office is located on the fourth floor of Ceejay House, which also houses several private offices. The premises were earlier owned by late drug smuggler Iqbal Mirchi and were later confiscated by the ED during a money laundering investigation involving his family members and associates. The agency’s earlier office at Ballard Estate is currently used for storing old records.
Officials said the new BKC facility is expected to improve operational efficiency, maintain confidentiality and provide better security for sensitive documents and attached assets handled by the agency.
The ED is also reportedly considering setting up another zonal office in Mumbai to distribute the workload from different parts of Maharashtra. A senior ED official said the agency has undertaken an infrastructure expansion programme as its operations continue to grow.
Mumbai remains one of the ED’s busiest zones, and officials said a single dedicated premises would help accommodate staff and strengthen administrative functioning.
The agency had explored various options for its Mumbai headquarters and formally requested land from the state government in April 2022. MMRDA approved the request in May 2023 and decided to allot the plot on an 80-year lease. The land value was determined based on the rate achieved in the last property auction conducted in BKC.
Source: The Times of India
