PWD yet to allot official residence to ex-Delhi CM Atishi; she seeks to retain Mathura Road bungalow
New Delhi: Former Delhi chief minister Atishi has requested the public works department (PWD) to allow her to retain the AB-17, Mathura Road bungalow as the leader of opposition in the Assembly or allot another one to her at Ansari Road in Daryaganj. According to PWD officials, Atishi continues to occupy the Mathura Road bungalow that was allotted to her when she was the chief minister. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has requested that she be allowed to retain the bungalow as the LoP in the Assembly but no decision has so far been made in this regard, the officials said.
However, sources in the AAP claimed that Atishi had written to the Delhi government's PWD about retaining the Mathura Road bungalow but was informed that it was a central-pool accommodation. "Her request to retain the Mathura Road bungalow has been refused, after which she has written to the PWD for the allotment of the Ansari Road bungalow that was earlier occupied by party leader Jasmine Shah as the vice-chairman of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission," one of the sources said. According to a senior PWD officer, Atishi had written to the department in March, asking that the Mathura Road bungalow be allotted to her. "She was told that the bungalow belonged to the Centre's pool. A decision on allotting an official residence to her is yet to be taken," the official said. The AB-17, Mathura Road bungalow, situated opposite the Bharat Mandapam, was earlier occupied by former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia for years. When he went to jail in connection with the excise policy case, the bungalow was allotted to Atishi.
The bungalow was also occupied by former chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the past. "Former chief minister Atishi continues to live at the same residence as earlier. The bungalow remains to be in the Centre's pool of residences but a decision is yet to be taken," the PWD officer said. The PWD officials also said an official residence is yet to be allotted to new Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, even though more than a month has passed since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was sworn in. Sources said a suitable bungalow for the chief minister is being searched in Lutyens' Delhi, keeping in view its proximity to the Secretariat, near the ITO. "The new chief minister has not been allotted a government residence yet. The decision is pending at the top level of the government. She continues to reside at her personal residence," the PWD officer said. The officials added that government accommodation has been allotted to other ministers. The PWD has to offer 10 government residences, including for the entire cabinet, the speaker, the deputy speaker and the LoP. Just after her swearing-in ceremony, Gupta had publicly announced that she will not be occupying the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, where former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal lived with his family for years. BJP leaders referred to the bungalow as "Sheesh Mahal" when Kejriwal occupied it over irregularities in its construction and lavish interiors.
