Overview
- In mid-July the Delhi Public Works Department opened a formal plan to commercially operate the former chief minister’s residence at 6 Flagstaff Road by exploring tie‑ups with luxury hotel chains or B&B arrangements.
- The proposal envisions a hybrid model that guarantees priority access to the government for meetings and state functions and allows professional management or private bookings only when the premises are not required for official use.
- PWD ministers have ordered completion of the unfinished adjoining camp office, which has about ₹25 crore already spent against an estimated ₹60 crore total, so it can host government conferences and be rented out when vacant.
- The move is presented as a revenue and maintenance-cutting measure but has drawn partisan reactions, with the BJP framing it as asset optimisation and the Congress urging the site be kept as a public reminder of alleged past excesses.
- The bungalow’s renovation was audited by the CAG at ₹33.66 crore including ₹18.88 crore on ornamental items, and the project has been subject to LG, CVC and CBI inquiries; the commercial plan remains at an early stage and needs legal and government approvals before implementation.