The groundbreaking ceremony of the much-awaited new building of the Indian Embassy in Seef, Bahrain, will be held next week.

 

 Indian Ambassador Mohan Kumar announced Friday during the monthly open house in the embassy premises in Adliya that Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will attend the ceremony Dec 8, Gulf Daily News reported Saturday.

 

 The Indian embassy in Bahrain has been functioning from rented accomodation since it opened in 1973.

 

 "I can assure I took up the issue of the embassy's new headquarters with several ministries in New Delhi at least twice a month," Kumar said.

 

 "We are now happy to announce the approval has been given and the groundbreaking ceremony will be held in Seef Dec 8."

 

 The headquarters is to be built on 7,598 sq m plot purchased in 2005 by the Indian government in Seef, a suburban neighbourhood in Manama.

 

 The project is expected to be completed within 15 months.