The Hindu              07.01.2014 

516 Lutyens’ bungalows to be rebuilt

At least 516 bungalows in the prime Lutyens’ zone of
Delhi, built almost 90 years ago, are proposed to be dismantled and
rebuilt with modern specifications like earthquake resistance at an
estimated cost of Rs.3,000 crore.

According to a plan
firmed up by the Urban Development Ministry, the bungalows which house
Ministers, judges and top officials of the government will be razed and
rebuilt in a phased manner over a period of 20 years.

The
reconstruction work on 29 bungalows will be taken up in the first phase
as they have been identified as structurally unsafe. The rest 487
bungalows will be taken up later.

“We have moved the
proposal to the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) for redevelopment of
total 516 Lutyens’ bungalows in the Capital. After the clearance from
the EFC, the proposal will go to the Cabinet for its approval,” said a
senior Urban Development Ministry official.

The EFC
is chaired by Expenditure Secretary and other members of the committee
including Urban Development Secretary and a Member of the Planning
Commission among others.

According to the estimate,
redevelopment work on each bungalow will cost about Rs.2.7 crore. The
new bungalows will be constructed as per the new specifications using
new building materials and earthquake resistant technology.

All
the bungalows to be erased and reconstructed are in type VII and VIII
categories and currently being occupied by Union Ministers, judges and
senior bureaucrats. These bungalows were constructed in the 1920s and
1930s.

“While most of these old bungalows have
outlived their utility, some are being identified as structurally unsafe
and requires major repair,” he said. – PTI

Most of these old bungalows have outlived their utility.