{
  "id": 2739582,
  "title": "The Rs 92-crore cost of Lutyens Delhi’s bungalows",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/the-rs-92-crore-cost-of-lutyens-delhis-bungalows",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-23T06:53:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/delhis-ageing-lutyens-bungalows-now-carry-a-rs-92-crore-upkeep-bill-for-ministers/articleshow/133435746.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The maintenance of India's historic Lutyens bungalows in New Delhi, once part of the imperial capital's development between 1912 and 1930, is becoming increasingly pricey. In 2025-26, the annual expenditure for renovation, furnishing, and repair reached a record-high Rs 92.35 crore, more than tripling the Rs 27.47 crore spent in 2014-15. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) handled these costs, spending a total of Rs 547.68 crore between 2014-15 and 2025-26 on such works.\n\nOfficials attribute the rising costs to factors such as inflation and the wear and tear of aging structures in the expansive grounds of the capital. Past challenges include seepage, termite infestations, outdated electrical systems, plumbing problems, and the need for upgrades due to structural unsafety. Some of these 80-90-100-year-old bungalows have been considered for demolition and rebuilding.\n\nBuilt during New Delhi's construction as the imperial capital's seat of government, the bungalow zone was also occupied by senior government functionaries, members of Parliament, judges, and military officers after Independence. Historian Swapna Liddle explains that while Edwin Lutyens named the zone, he designed only those within the President's Estate, with the rest created by CPWD architects.\n\nThe average annual spending on repairs and upgradation rose from Rs 26.78 crore from 2014 to 2019, to nearly Rs 50 crore from 2019 to 2024, and reached Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26. The cost per minister in 2025-26 was estimated at Rs 1.2 crore, though actual expenditure varies. Frequent repairs involve electrical items, plumbing work, and floor tiles, with CPWD data not detailing costs for MPs' residences or Union ministers' offices.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Maintenance of Lutyens bungalows in Delhi costs Rs 92.35 crore annually in 2025-26.",
    "Central Public Works Department (CPWD) spent Rs 547.68 crore on these costs from 2014-15 to 2025-26.",
    "Rising costs attributed to inflation, aging structures, and need for upgrades."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The sharply rising maintenance costs for Lutyens Delhi's historic bungalows reflect increasing pressure on government resources as aging structures require more frequent and expensive repairs and upgrades.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}