Delhi’s Ageing Lutyens Bungalows Now Carry a Rs 92-Crore Upkeep Bill for Ministers
Record upkeep costs for Union ministers’ residences reflect ageing structures, inflation and recurring repairs, with average annual spending reaching ₹1.2 crore per minister, officials said.
- The Central Public Works Department spent a record ₹92.35 crore maintaining Union Ministers' residences in New Delhi during 2025-26, more than triple the ₹27.47 crore spent in 2014-15.
- Ageing structures drive these rising costs; the residences are mostly 80-100-year-old colonial buildings plagued by seepage, termite infestations, and outdated electrical systems that an official noted had become "structurally unsafe."
- The government spent a cumulative ₹547.68 crore on repairs and furnishing over 12 years, with average annual spending doubling to nearly ₹50 crore between 2019 and 2024.
- Historian Swapna Liddle noted that most colonial-era bungalows were designed by Public Works Department architects under British administration, featuring expansive compounds with separate staff quarters.
- Beyond Union Ministers, these properties house Members of Parliament, senior judges, and military officers; Home Minister Amit Shah occupies a bungalow once housing Herbert Baker, architect of the old Parliament Building.
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Congress, CJP, AAP question Centre over ministers bungalows spend
New Delhi: The rise in the annual expenditure on the upkeep of Union ministers’ official residences in Delhi drew criticism from the Congress, CJP and AAP on Monday, August 24, with the three questioning the Centre’s spending priorities and the state of public services and government schools. The Congress led the attack, accusing the Modi government of “splurging” on ministers’ bungalows while people “grappled with inflation” and inadequate publ…
‘Fix schools, not lavish homes’: CJP targets Rs 92 crore upkeep bill for ministers’ bungalows in Delhi
The Cockroach Janta Party criticized the Centre's spending on ministers' residences. They stated this money could build new world-class government schools. The party noted a significant increase in renovation and repair expenditures. They are reviewing the Centre's commitments after withdrawing their nationwide agitation. Any failure to honor assurances will be considered a betrayal of the youth.
Rs 92 crore to keep Union ministers’ Delhi bungalows standing: Repair bill triples in 11 years
The bill has more than tripled from Rs 27.47 crore in 2014-15, underlining the growing expense of maintaining a collection of ageing government bungalows in the heart of the capital.
A record ₹92.35 crore was spent in 2025-26 on the repair and maintenance of official residences of Union ministers in Delhi's Lutyens Bungalow Zone. A total of ₹547.68 crore was spent between 2014-15 and 2025-26. According to an RTI, the increased expenditure is attributed to inflation and the rising maintenance costs of older bungalows. The average expenditure per minister in 2025-26 was approximately ₹1.2 crore.
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