Delhi government cancels renovation tender for CM Rekha Gupta's residence

Tender for proposed installations at CM Rekha Gupta's residence cancelled due to administrative reasons, days after her camp office was inaugurated on Raj Niwas Marg

The Delhi government on Wednesday cancelled a tender issued for renovating Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s official residence, citing administrative reasons, news agency PTI has reported.

 

The Public Works Department (PWD) had allotted her two bungalows on Raj Niwas Marg. One was designated as her official residence, while the other was set up as a camp office. She inaugurated the camp office last week.

Tender details

The cancelled tender was valued at ₹60 lakh. According to the tender floated by the Public Works Department (PWD) on June 28, the renovation was primarily intended to focus on electrical and electronic enhancements. 

 

The detailed tender outlined a list of installations and upgrades, including the addition of five televisions worth ₹9.3 lakh, 14 air conditioners valued at ₹7.7 lakh, and 14 CCTVs costing ₹5.74 lakh. An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system worth ₹2 lakh was also to be set up to ensure uninterrupted power, NDTV reported earlier. 

The tender also focused on electrical enhancements such as fans, washing machine and lighting equipment. 

Tender cancelled after criticism

The tender for the renovation was cancelled amid strong objections from opposition parties. After the tender was issued, both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress criticised the planned spending, accusing the BJP-led government of wasting taxpayers’ money.

 

However, the BJP defended the decision, saying the renovation was not a lavish expense but part of routine government procedures.

Rekha Gupta declines Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’

Currently living at her Shalimar Bagh residence, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had previously stated that she would not be moving into the bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road, which was formerly occupied by ex-chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Instead, she promised to transform the property — labelled “Sheesh Mahal” (Glass Palace) by the BJP during the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year — into a museum.

 

The BJP had slammed Kejriwal for the lavish spending on renovating the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, where he had stayed from 2015 till October 2024. A CPWD report published that October 2024 described the extensive refurbishments and high-end fixtures installed throughout the 40,000-square-yard premises. 

A CAG report revealed that more than ₹33 crore was spent on renovating the official residence—almost four times higher than the original estimate of ₹7.9 crore.

 

The audit highlighted a number of luxury items bought for the bungalow. These included an 88-inch 8K OLED LG TV worth ₹28.9 lakh, and ten 4K Sony OLED TVs costing ₹43.9 lakh. The list also mentioned a Samsung ‘Flex Family Hub’ refrigerator priced at ₹3.2 lakh, a microwave oven for ₹1.8 lakh, two steam ovens for ₹6.5 lakh, and a front-loading washing machine worth ₹1.9 lakh.

 

The PWD also fitted a jacuzzi, sauna, and spa, with the total cost amounting to ₹19.5 lakh. The report further noted that ₹19.8 crore, initially allocated for constructing a staff block, was diverted to build seven servant quarters at a separate site unrelated to the main project.

  Kejriwal vacated the house after stepping down from his post.