1 week ago
Union Ministers’ Lutyens’ Delhi Bungalow Upkeep Reaches Record ₹92 Crore
The government looks after official homes used by Union ministers in New Delhi.
These homes are mostly in the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone.
Many of the buildings are about 80 to 100 years old.
Repairs may include fixing water leaks, plumbing, lights, fans and floor tiles.
The government spent ₹92.35 crore on this work in 2025-26.
That was more than three times the amount spent in 2014-15.
Officials said old buildings, inflation and safety problems helped make the work more expensive.
The figures do not include every government home or ministers’ offices.
Maintenance spending on Union ministers’ official residences reached ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26.
The 2025-26 expenditure was more than three times the ₹27.47 crore spent in 2014-15.
The Central Public Works Department spent ₹547.68 crore on these residences from 2014-15 to 2025-26.
Officials attributed rising costs to inflation, ageing structures, seepage, termites, plumbing and electrical problems.
The RTI figures exclude non-minister MPs’ residences and Union ministers’ and ministers of state’s offices.
- Who
- The Central Public Works Department maintains official residences allotted to Union ministers.
- What
- Spending on repairs, renovation and furnishing of those residences reached ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26.
- Where
- The residences are in Central Delhi’s Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone.
- When
- The reported figures cover the financial years 2014-15 through 2025-26.
- Why
- Officials cited inflation, ageing buildings, wear and tear, seepage, termites, plumbing and electrical problems, and structural upgrades.
Maintenance Justification
Spending Scrutiny
Reason for higher costs
Maintenance Justification
Officials said inflation, large compounds, ageing buildings, seepage, termites, deteriorating electrical systems, plumbing problems and structural safety upgrades increased expenses.
Spending Scrutiny
The reported expenditure rose from ₹27.47 crore in 2014-15 to a record ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26, prompting questions about the continued cost of maintaining the properties.
Repairing or replacing buildings
Maintenance Justification
The Central Public Works Department continues to maintain the residences because some old structures require upgrades to remain usable and safe.
Spending Scrutiny
The reports note that some bungalows have been considered for redevelopment or replacement, although plans to demolish and rebuild some were not officially announced.
Scope of available data
Maintenance Justification
The RTI response provides expenditure data for ministerial residences maintained by the Central Public Works Department.
Spending Scrutiny
The response does not include spending on residences of non-minister MPs or on Union ministers’ and ministers of state’s offices, limiting the scope of the reported total.
Key facts
- 2025-26 expenditure
- ₹92.35 crore
- 2014-15 expenditure
- ₹27.47 crore
- Total expenditure, 2014-15 to 2025-26
- ₹547.68 crore
- Maintenance agency
- Central Public Works Department
- Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone size
- Roughly 2,800 hectares
- Typical building age
- Approximately 80 to 100 years
- Approximate 2025-26 average per minister
- ₹1.2 crore, based on around 70 to 72 ministers
Quotes
A CPWD official
An official of the Central Public Works Department, which maintains the ministerial residences
“These bungalows reflected the same pattern seen in residences that the British built in Civil Lines in most Indian cities to house their officials: a big compound, with ancillary buildings for the staff apart from the main building. One such bungalow, currently occupied by Home Minister Amit Shah on Krishna Menon Marg, once housed Herbert Baker, the architect of the old Parliament Building and the North and South Blocks”
livemint.com
“Most of New Delhi's colonial-era government bungalows were designed by architects of the Public Works Department under the British administration.”
livemint.com
CNBC TV 18
Sources
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