The decision to undertake renovations at a cost of Rs 60 lakh for the government residence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has now been cancelled, The Public Works Department (PWD) has cancelled the tender issued for this. This decision has been taken at a time when the Opposition had accused the government of wasteful expenditure of public money over the renovation. In the government notification issued on July 7, it has been said that the tender has been cancelled due to administrative reasons.
This tender was to be opened on July 4, which included electrical fitting and technical work of the bungalow. The renovation proposal included items like 24 ACs of two tonnes each, 115 decorative lights, 5 TVs and premium fans. This renovation was proposed after CM Rekha Gupta took charge in February and got a Type-7 category bungalow in June. However, it is now being viewed as an attempt to respond to the Opposition charges by canceling the tender.
Expenditure part of govt process: BJP
After the tender was issued, AAP and Congress attacked the BJP government. They called it a waste of public money by calling it 'Rang Mahal' and 'Maya Mahal'. The Opposition said that when the public is struggling with inflation and unemployment, then spending Rs 60 lakh on bungalow decoration is completely inappropriate. BJP had clarified that this expenditure is part of the government process and there was no luxury in it.
Large scale electrical and decoration work was planned
In the PWD tender issued on July 1, large scale electrical and decoration work was planned in the CM bungalow. This included 24 air conditioners worth Rs 11 lakh, 23 energy efficient ceiling fans, 16 wall mounted fans and 115 decorative lighting fixtures worth Rs 6.03 lakh. The proposed lights included brass lanterns, chandeliers, glass wall lights and three large chandeliers. Also, the purchase of 5 large TVs was also in the proposal.