Annual expenditure on renovating, furnishing and repairing the official residences of Union ministers in Delhi's Lutyens bungalow zone reached a record Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26, according to information obtained by PTI through an RTI query.
The spending was more than three times the Rs 27.47 crore spent in 2014-15. Overall, the government spent Rs 547.68 crore between 2014-15 and 2025-26 through the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which is responsible for maintaining and renovating the properties.
SPENDING RISES SHARPLY
Annual expenditure increased significantly over the period:
2014-15: Rs 27.47 crore
2015-16: Rs 29.57 crore
2016-17: Rs 30.10 crore
2017-18: Rs 23.34 crore
2018-19: Rs 23.42 crore
2019-20: Rs 26.37 crore
2020-21: Rs 53.87 crore
2021-22: Rs 40.84 crore
2022-23: Rs 73.86 crore
2023-24: Rs 54.52 crore
2024-25: Rs 71.98 crore
2025-26: Rs 92.35 crore
Average annual spending rose from about Rs 26.78 crore between 2014 and 2019 to nearly Rs 50 crore between 2019 and 2024.
CPWD officials attributed the increase partly to inflation and the rising cost of maintaining old properties. Many of the bungalows are 80 to 100 years old, with problems including seepage, termites, ageing electrical systems and plumbing faults. Some properties have reportedly required structural upgrades.
HISTORIC BUNGALOWS
The Lutyens bungalow zone was developed between 1912 and 1930 during the construction of New Delhi as the British imperial capital. After Independence, many of the properties were allocated to senior government officials.
Although the area is commonly associated with architect Edwin Lutyens, historian Swapna Liddle noted that most colonial-era government bungalows in New Delhi were actually designed by architects working for the Public Works Department.
The properties typically feature large compounds with staff quarters and other ancillary buildings. One such bungalow on Krishna Menon Marg, currently occupied by Home Minister Amit Shah, was previously associated with architect Herbert Baker.
WHAT THE RTI DATA DOES NOT INCLUDE
The figures specifically cover residences of Union ministers maintained through the CPWD. The department did not provide comparable expenditure figures for:
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs who are not ministers
Offices of Union ministers
Offices of ministers of state
With the Council of Ministers generally numbering around 70–72 members, the 2025-26 expenditure translates to roughly Rs 1.2 crore per minister on average, although actual expenditure varies substantially between residences.
An earlier RTI response showed that the government spent Rs 93.50 crore between 2004 and 2009 on maintenance and renovation of bungalows allotted to MPs and Union ministers.
A useful way to assess the rise is to compare the Rs 547.68 crore cumulative expenditure with the number and size of residences covered, since the annual average alone does not show whether the increase came primarily from inflation, major one-off renovations or routine maintenance.
