Space crunch

With the finance ministry finding it difficult to get new office space in central Delhi, officials on deputation are forced to share rooms with those officials who are lucky to get a room in the ministry offices. The officials are sharing not just the office space, but also, telephones, fax, computers and the support staff. Gautam Ray, the head of the recently-formed core committee on the goods and services tax, was working from the offices of two joint secretaries in North Block, and has now shifted to a commissioner’s office. Officials of the task force on the direct taxes code were also sharing infrastructure with their “friends” in North Block before they got office space of their own in Saket.