Now, ministries to pay rent, water & electricity bills for office space

Monthly rental payable to ministry would be in the range of Rs 24 to Rs 36 per sq ft/ per month

Planning to do away an age-old practice, central ministries and departments will now have to pay rent for their office space, alloted to them by Urban Development Ministry. They will also have to pay the charges for electricity and water consumed by them, which at present is paid by CPWD (central public works department), the agency responisble for maintenance of these buildings, according to a report published by The Times of India.   

The decision has been taken to end lack of accountability for inefficient use and wastage of scarce resources, an urban development ministry official said, adding that the new corporate style of using work space will kick in from April 1. The monthly rental payable to urban development ministry would be in the range of Rs 24 to  Rs 36 per sq ft/ per month and it would cover both air-conditioned and normal office space. This norm will cover buildings including Nirman Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, South Block, North Block, Krishi Bhawan, Rail Bhawan and Transport Bhawan to name a few.

"Though the rent will come back to the government, the idea behind this initiative is to ensure that each and every department uses space decisively and efficiently. They have to include the rent and electricity bill in their budget and hence they will be responsible. They will seek fund for rent in the supplementary Budget," said an official, further reported the national daily.

There have been numerous examples in the past of how different departments and ministries keep occupying space allotted to them even after they have a new building complex exclusively for them. According to estimates, the available built up space under the jurisdiction of urban development ministry is around 72 lakh sq feet in Delhi and there is a demand for another 28 lakh sq feet for government office accommodation.