A Type-VII government bungalow in Delhi's Lodhi Estate has been allotted to Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal. After a long wait and a High Court directive, he now has a permanent official residence available.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has received government accommodation after a long wait. The central government has allotted him a Type-VII bungalow at 95, Lodhi Estate. This bungalow falls under the second-largest category of government residences. Due to the delay in receiving the bungalow, Kejriwal had also approached the Delhi High Court.
Long Wait Ends
Arvind Kejriwal had vacated the government bungalow in Civil Lines almost a year ago after resigning from the Chief Minister's post. Subsequently, he was residing in a government bungalow allotted to AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal. Now, the central government has secured a Type-VII bungalow for him in Lodhi Estate.
As the convenor of a national party, Kejriwal is entitled to government accommodation in Delhi. Due to the delay in the bungalow allocation by the Directorate of Estates, under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the Aam Aadmi Party leader had approached the High Court. In court, the government had informed on September 25 that the bungalow would be allotted within the next 10 days.
Type-VII Bungalow in Lodhi Estate
On Monday, the government allotted a Type-VII bungalow at 95, Lodhi Estate to Arvind Kejriwal. This bungalow falls under the second-largest category of government residences and offers extensive facilities. With this allocation, Kejriwal has now received his permanent and official residence.
History of Flagstaff Road
Last year, Kejriwal had vacated the bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road in September, shortly before the elections, after resigning from the Chief Minister's post. This bungalow served as his official residence for most of his tenure as Chief Minister. During the Delhi elections, this bungalow was also embroiled in controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had heavily criticized alleged irregularities during the bungalow's renovation and dubbed it a “Sheesh Mahal” (Glass Palace).
High Court Directive and Allotment
Due to the government's delay in allocating the bungalow, Kejriwal had filed a petition in the High Court. During the hearing of the case in court, the Centre assured that the bungalow would be allotted within ten days. Having completed this process, the Centre has now secured the Lodhi Estate bungalow for him.
