A tender for renovation work at Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta‘s residence – at a projected cost of Rs 60 lakh – has been cancelled for ‘administrative reasons’. The city’s Public Works Department informed the Delhi government – led by the Bharatiya Janata Party – of the cancellation Monday.
The PWD notification was issued three days after tenders were to be opened.
The Rs 60 lakh tender was reportedly for electrical work, including the installation of 14 air conditioners, TVs worth Rs 9 lakh and light fittings worth an additional Rs 6 lakh.
Ms Gupta – a first-time MLA and surprise chief minister pick after the BJP’s thumping win in February’s election – waited nearly a 100 days before being allotted a bungalow as her official residence.
The allotment was finally made in early June; adjacent properties on Raj Niwas Marg in Delhi’s Civil Lines area were given to Ms Gupta for the duration of her term as Chief Minister.
Ms Gupta had chosen not to occupy the bungalow occupied by ex-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – also in Civil Lines – after it became the focal point of the BJP’s attack on the Aam Aadmi Party boss.
The BJP had dubbed the house a ‘sheeshmahal‘ and accused Mr Kejriwal of spending crores of taxpayers’ money on lavish refurbishments.
The re-constructed bungalow – spread across 40,000 square yards after the allegedly unauthorised merger of four government-owned parcels of land – served as Mr Kejriwal’s official residence from 2015 till October 2024, when he vacated after resigning his post.
A Central Public Works Department report released in October 2024 highlighted ‘luxurious renovations’ and installation of ‘high-end appliances’. The federal government then ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities and directed the CPWD to conduct a detailed inquiry.
READ | Delhi Bungalow At Centre Of ‘Sheeshmahal’ Row To Face Central Probe
Mr Kejriwal dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, accusing the BJP of using personal attacks to divert attention from its alleged failures in Delhi.
Neither the AAP nor Mr Kejriwal have spoken about the delayed tender for Ms Gupta’s home as yet.
The ‘sheeshmahal‘ allegations (and the liquor policy corruption case also involving Mr Kejriwal) proved to be too much for the AAP to overcome, with voters opting for the BJP instead.
After she becoming Chief Minister Ms Gupta said it would be turned into a ‘museum’.
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