Ageing Lutyens’ Delhi bungalows push upkeep bill for Union Ministers’ residences to over ₹92 crore
The annual maintenance expenditure for Union Ministers' residences in Lutyens' Delhi has reached a record high of ₹92.35 crore for 2025-26, marking a significant increase from ₹27.47 crore in 2014-15. Officials attribute the rising costs to the structural challenges of maintaining century-old colonial-era buildings, including issues with plumbing, electrical systems, and general wear and tear.
Why it matters
The escalating costs highlight the growing fiscal burden of preserving aging heritage infrastructure in the national capital, sparking debates over the sustainability of maintaining these colonial-era bungalows versus potential redevelopment.
The upkeep of Delhi's iconic Lutyens bungalows , now nearly a century old, is becoming increasingly expensive - annual expenditure on the renovation, furnishing and repair of the official residences of Union Ministers touched a record high of ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26, more than three times the ₹27.47 crore in 2014-15.
According to information obtained by PTI through an RTI query, the government spent ₹547.68 crore on such works between 2014-15 and 2025-26 through the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which executes the repairs, renovation and maintenance works.
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