The forests department and the pollution control board are set to have permanent homes in Patna.

The foundation for Forest Bhavan — the headquarters of the environment and forests department — would be laid on June 6 in the presence of chief minister Nitish Kumar. After completion, all officials of the department would work from the new office on Riding Road, near Patna zoo.

The permanent office of the state pollution control board, Paryavaran Bhavan, would be constructed at the Patliputra Industrial Area.

B.A. Khan, principal chief conservator of forests, department of environment and forests, told The Telegraph: “Before the bifurcation of the state, the headquarters of the environment and forests department of Bihar was in Ranchi. At present, the Bihar environment and forests department does not have an official headquarters. Senior officers of the department have separate offices at various places in the state capital. The department got an approval on a preliminary project report of the proposed Forest Bhavan in 2010-11.”

At present, the directorate and officers of Indian Forest Service-rank work from 13 different locations in Patna. Their new office at Forest Bhavan would be a five-storeyed building. “Forest Bhavan would be a state-of-the-art facility equipped with a geographic information system cell for real-time monitoring of forest areas in the state. It would also have an auditorium, a museum and a record room among other amenities. The construction work is expected to start by the end of this year. It would be completed within 24 months with an expected outlay of Rs 10 crore,” said a senior officer of the forests department.

At present, the forest department is preparing an application to be sent to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to get their permission to construct the building.

According to sources, the design of the proposed Forest Bhavan is inspired by a forest habitat, wherein 50 per cent of the site would be left as open space. The southern side of the building would have an entry garden. The walls facing the west and the roof would be mounted with photovoltaic panels to generate solar energy. The central atrium allows natural light to filter into the workspace.

The auditorium would have the capacity to accommodate around 175 people. There is a direct ramp for access to the auditorium and there would be a separate lobby for guest suites on the top floor. The design ensures following the hierarchy of the officers, with the highest ranked officers on the top floor with their support staff.

The Paryavaran Bhavan would be a hi-tech facility constructed on a plot of 5,000sqft. “The tender for preparation of detailed project report of this building would be floated within a week. We would try to complete the construction work in two years,” said Manoj Kumar Singh, member-secretary, pollution control board.