Two weeks ago, the union urban development ministry moved a cabinet note proposing to raze and rebuild the bungalows in tune with present-day requirements.
The bungalows are structurally unsafe and have outlived their 60-year life, the note says. The redevelopment is expected to cost around Rs. 3,000 crore.
Maintenance is also expensive. The CPWD spends between Rs. 35 and Rs. 40 crore on their upkeep every year.
The redevelopment proposal has been pending with the ministry for some years now.
Even after the cabinet clears the plan, it will be some years before new bungalows will be ready.
The ministry has set a 2035 deadline as a large number of VIPs live in the area and finding alternative accommodations for them would take time.
