Upkeep of ageing Lutyens bungalows for ministers crosses ₹92 crore in 2025-26
The annual expenditure on renovation, furnishing and repair of official residences of Union Ministers in Delhi's Lutyens Bungalow Zone rose to ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26, according to data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query. This is more than three times the ₹27.47 crore spent in 2014-15, making it the highest annual figure in over a decade.
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which executes maintenance and repair works, spent a total of ₹547.68 crore on these bungalows between 2014-15 and 2025-26, the RTI response showed. Officials attributed the rising costs to inflation and the deteriorating condition of structures that are mostly 80 to 100 years old, requiring frequent attention to seepage, termite infestation, ageing electrical systems and plumbing issues.
The Lutyens Bungalow Zone, developed between 1912 and 1930 as part of the building of New Delhi, was later adapted for use by senior government functionaries after Independence. Apart from Union Ministers, these bungalows are also occupied by Members of Parliament, senior judges and top military officers.
Historian and author Swapna Liddle said that while Edwin Lutyens lent his name to the zone, he personally designed only the official bungalows within the President's Estate. Most other colonial-era government bungalows in New Delhi were designed by architects of the Public Works Department under the British administration. She noted that these residences followed a common pattern of a large compound with ancillary staff buildings, similar to British-era Civil Lines residences across India. 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.
The expenditure trend shows a sharp increase over the years. From 2014-15 to 2018-19, the average annual spending on repairs and upgradation was about ₹26.78 crore. This doubled to nearly ₹50 crore per year between 2019-20 and 2023-24. In 2024-25, the spending was ₹71.98 crore, followed by ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26.
With the Union Council of Ministers typically comprising around 70 to 72 ministers, the 2025-26 expenditure works out to an average of about ₹1.2 crore per minister, though actual spending varies significantly from one residence to another.
The RTI response provided year-wise data: ₹27.47 crore (2014-15), ₹29.57 crore (2015-16), ₹30.10 crore (2016-17), ₹23.34 crore (2017-18), ₹23.42 crore (2018-19), ₹26.37 crore (2019-20), ₹53.87 crore (2020-21), ₹40.84 crore (2021-22), ₹73.86 crore (2022-23), ₹54.52 crore (2023-24), ₹71.98 crore (2024-25) and ₹92.35 crore (2025-26).
The CPWD did not furnish data on expenditure for residences of non-ministerial MPs or for offices of Union Ministers and Ministers of State as part of the RTI reply. A staff member of a Cabinet Minister, speaking anonymously, said the most frequent repair requests relate to electrical fixtures such as fans and LED lights, and plumbing work, which are needed every few months.
