Politics · India Bureau
Maintenance costs for Delhi ministerial bungalows surge past ₹92 crore
Annual expenditure on upkeep of the capital's heritage Lutyens bungalows has more than tripled in a decade, reaching a record ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26 as infrastructure decay accelerates across the nearly century-old structures housing Union ministers.
LSN India ·
The cost of maintaining Delhi's historic ministerial residences has climbed sharply, with government spending on renovation and repairs reaching ₹92.35 crore in the current financial year—more than three times the ₹27.47 crore expended in 2014-15, according to data accessed through right-to-information requests. Over the eleven-year period from 2014-15 to 2025-26, the Central Public Works Department has channelled ₹547.68 crore into maintenance, repair and furnishing works across these residences, which sit on sprawling grounds in central Delhi.
The unprecedented spike in costs reflects mounting challenges inherent to preserving structures now approaching their centennial. Officials have consistently cited infrastructure deterioration as a primary driver of expenses, including persistent seepage issues, termite infestation, deteriorating electrical systems and plumbing failures across multiple properties. The ageing building stock requires increasingly intensive interventions to maintain operational standards.
Administration sources attribute the sharp escalation to multiple factors beyond physical wear. Inflationary pressures on labour, materials and specialist services have contributed substantially to ballooning bills. The expansive ground areas surrounding each bungalow compound further inflate maintenance requirements, adding to the financial burden borne by taxpayers for the upkeep of these official residences at the heart of the nation's capital.