Task of housing new MPs begins

The Ministry of Urban Development is gearing up to house the incoming Union council of ministers as well as MPs in the national capital.

The Directorate of Estates (DOE), the nodal department of the Ministry in charge of providing accommodation to ministers, will start issuing notices to the outgoing ministers, particularly those defeated in the recent Lok Sabha polls or had not contested at all, asking them to vacate their bungalows within a month.

“Notices will go out from May 26 onwards once the new prime minister takes oath of office,” sources told Deccan Herald.

Though some of the ministers of the outgoing government have already written to the DOE and started the process of vacating, the Ministry wanted to ensure that those not entitled for accommodation do not stay on for long. Union Ministers are entitled for Type VIII bungalows in posh Lutyens’ zone.

PM Manmohan Singh is likely to vacate his official residence, 7, Race Course Road, next week and will move into his post retirement abode at 3, Motilal Nehru Marg.

On the request of the LS secretariat, the DOE has also booked 300 rooms in three government-owned hotels and various state government guests houses for newly elected MPs.

As the Lok Sabha allots houses to MPs, it has a pool of 445 houses, which includes independent bungalows as well as apartments. While senior members get bungalows, juniors are entitled to five-bedroom apartment.