Explained: How Many Bungalows Are There In Lutyens Zone? How They Are Allotted To MPs, Judges, Officials

Rahul Gandhi recently vacated his official residence after his disqualification as MP. Here we explain how MPs, Union Ministers are allotted bungalows and in which cases made to vacate them.

Know how premium residences in Lutyens Zone are alloted to MPs, Judges and other top officials.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Saturday vacated his official bungalow that was allotted to him after he won the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in the 2004 general elections. However, Gandhi was convicted last month for his "why all thieves share the Modi surname" remak by a Surat court and sent to two years jail. This resulted in his disqualification as MP and subsequently the Lok Sabha secretariat asked him to vacate the official residence. Rahul Gandhi has shifted his belongings to his mother Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence.  

So, how are these sprawling houses allotted to ministers and top bureaucrats? When are these vacated? Is there any special requirement to be eligible to live here? Here, we answer these questions and elaborate on the Lutyens Bungalow Zone and people who can stay here.  

 What Is Lutyens Bungalow Zone?  

The Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ) is one of the poshest and most highly sought-after places in the national capital. It is spread across an area of 23.60 sq km and boasts of heritage buildings and the Central Vista. LBZ is home to India’s president, prime minister, top politicians and ultra-high net-worth individuals (UHNIs).  

It has around 3,000 government-owned properties and 600 private bungalows. There are 17 types of accommodation in LBZ and 3,959 properties. Below is a table that summarises this information.

 

Type Of Accommodation	Numbers
Type-1	208
Type-2	8
Type-3	26
Type-4	872
Type-5 Flats	699
Type-5 Bungalows	108
Type-6 Flats	178
Type-6 Bungalows	152
Type-7 Flats	125
Type-7 Bungalows	175
Type-8 Bungalows	166
MP flats	424
Special type flats	84
AB Type Bungalows	29
B Type flats	9
Double Suite Hostel	304
Single Suite Hostel	392
Total	3959

It is pertinent to note that Type 7 and Type 8 are the most in-demand flats and are allotted directly by the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs on the basis of need and exigency. As of now, the government has 520 flats of these two types, which are allotted to ministers, senior officials in the V-P Secretariat, PMO, judges and other high-level officials. At present, the allotment stands as tabulated below:  

Type Of Flats	Department Pool	General Pool	Judge HC	Judge SC	Total
Type 7	194	95	29	1	319
Type 8	58	98	10	35	201
Total					520

Eligibility For Accommodation In LBZ  

The entire accommodation process in LBZ is carried out by the Directorate of Estates, which is governed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The allocation is done under the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Rules, 2017. GPRA covers Central government residential accommodations under the administrative control of the DoE in Delhi and at 39 locations outside Delhi like Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh etc.  

As per the official notification of the GPRA, all Central Government employees are eligible to apply for accommodation under the GPRA pool. The allotments are made according to the pay scale, office or position of the applicant.

 

Allotment Of Flats/Bungalows

Premium Type VII & Type VIII Bungalows

The general pool of Type VII and VIII accommodation is allotted by the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs keeping in view the functional necessity, criticality/sensitivity of the post held.

Eligibility Of Political Parties

Allotment of one house in Delhi from General Pool could be considered for use as office to national political parties recognised by the Election Commission of India. One residential accommodation would be allotted/allowed to be retained by the party president of a recognised national party provided that no other accommodation has been allotted to him/her in any other capacity.

Allotment To State-Level Parties

Allotment of one house in Vitthalbhai Patel (VP) House could be considered to recognise state-level political parties that have a minimum strength of four members in both Houses of the Parliament for office/residence.

Who Allocates Residence To MPs?

For serving Union ministers, accommodation is allotted by the DoE. House committees of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats are the competent authorities to allot accommodation to MPs.

How MPs Get Residences Allotted

In order to meet the needs of members for residential accommodation, a separate pool has been established and allotment of residences is made by the Accommodation Sub-Committee of the House Committee.

Benefits For MPs 

Licence-Free Flats, Hostel But Not Bungalows

Members are entitled to a licence-fee free flat or hostel accommodation throughout their term of office. If the members are allotted housing accommodation in the form of a bungalow at their request, they shall pay full licence fee.

Water, Electricity And Other Amenities

Members are entitled to water supply without payment of charges up to 4000 kl per annum. They are eligible for electricity upto 50,000 units (25,000 units measure on light meter and 25,000 units on power meter or pooled together) per annum beginning from January 1 every year.

Other facilities include- washing of sofa covers and curtains every three months. Furniture within the monetary ceiling of Rs 60,000 in respect of durable furniture.

They are also allowed for a 25 per cent remission in the rent on account of any improvement or addition made to it or any additional service provided thereto by way of furniture, electrical equipment and other services.

Rent Of Residences In LBZ (Licence Fee)

Licence fee means a fee payable monthly in respect of the accommodation allotted under CGGPRA rules,2017.  The revised flat rates of licence fee applicable for GPRA throughout the country w.e.f.01-07-2020 as follows:

S.No.	Type Of Accommodation	Range Of Livig Area (Sq M)	Licence Fee
1	I	Upto 30	180
2	II	26.5 to 50	370
3	III	44 to 65	560
4	IV	59 to 91.5	750
5	IV (Special)	59 to 91.5	790
6	V A	upto 106	1400
7	V B	Beyond 106	1490
8	VI A	Upto 159.5	1840
9	VI B	Beyond 159.5	2200
10	VII	189.5 to 224.5	2580
11	VIII	243 to 522	4610

Revision Of Licence Fee: The normal licence fee for accommodation shall be revised every three years based on the Average All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the Central Government. The revised rate shall take effect from July 1 of the following year.

When To Vacate Bungalows?

The rules to vacate bungalows are very basic. The occupants should leave the bungalows or any other official property allotted to them once they seize to be on the said post. This means if someone loses the status of an MP, as in the case of Rahul Gandhi, the person becomes ineligible to retain the official accommodation. Similarly, the cabinet ministers are eligible for higher status accommodation and hence if an MP is made minister, he should vacate the present bungalow to move to new property and same goes if the status of Minister is taken away from anyone.

Occupants Overstaying In Bungalows  

In answer to a question in the Rajya Sabha on April 3, 2023, the government said that seven residents are overstaying in Type VII and Type VIII bungalows without permission.

Damage Charges

The allottee is charged for damages as fixed from time to time for unauthorised period of occupation of GPRA, if any. For the period of unauthorised occupation of GPRA, the following rates of damages are charged from the unauthorized occupant:

Station	Type Of Flats And Damage Rates For First Month
	Type I to IV	Type IV (Special) to Type VI and Hostel	Type VII and Type VIII	Servant Quarters	Garages
Delhi	40 Times	50 Times	55 Times	50 Times	50 Times
Mumbai a) Hyderabad Estate, Belvedere, Pedder Road, BD Road, Malabar Hill, Colaba and Prabhadevi	120 Times	120 Times	--	50 Times	50 Times
Rest of Mumbai including Hostel at Antop Hill	50 Times	50 Times	--	50 Times	50 Times
Stations	Type I to IV	Type V and above and Hostel	Type VII and Type VIII	Servant Quarters	Garages
Stations other than Delhi and Mumba	40 Times	50 Times	--	50 Times	50 Times

As per a report in Hindustan Times, in July 2020, the upper house of Parliament decided to impose heavy fines on those who were illegally occupying accommodation. The charges were up to Rs 10.78 lakh per month.

The move came a year after Parliament cleared a legislation - Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019- for speedy eviction of unauthorised occupants of government accommodation.

The lowest compensation was Rs 63,500 in the first month for type V flat, the smallest government accommodation in Lutyens Delhi. Then for each subsequent month, the charges will increase and can reach Rs 3.17 lakh for the eighth month, the circular said, reported HT.

It added that overstaying in a type VIII bungalow, the biggest and the best, will attract a penalty of Rs 2.15 lakh in the first month or 55 per cent of the license fee.

Number Of Unsafe Bungalows

In an answer in the Lok Sabha in 2017, the Central government informed that as per the assessment made by Central Public Works Department (CPWD), 708 old bungalows in Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ) are considered structurally unsafe against earthquake forces.  

It added that razing / refurbishment / replacement of such bungalows are considered in a phased manner.