36 new flats ready to be allotted to newly-elected MPs in Lutyens' Delhi

NEW DELHI: Thirty six new duplex flats with modular kitchens, four bedrooms each, a lift and an office area are ready to be allotted to the newly-elected MPs in Lutyens' Delhi's North Avenue.

All the flats, which have a view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, have been constructed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the prime construction agency of the central government.

A senior government official told PTI that by the end of this month, all the newly-constructed flats will be handed over to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

He said these low-rise building flats were equipped with solar panels, LED lights, a dedicated basement parking for two cars each and all modern amenities to cater to the parliamentarians.

"Thirty six flats have been constructed at a cost of around Rs 80 crore against the sanctioned cost of Rs 92 crore. The construction work of these flats had started in October, 2017," the official said.

He added that the CPWD constructed these flats after demolishing the old flats built several decades ago.

"According to the plan, the old flats located in South and North Avenues, which were built a long time ago, will be demolished in a phased manner and the new ones will be constructed there," he said.

The new Lok Sabha has around 300 members who have been elected to the Lower House of Parliament for the first time, including cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani, Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans and Bengali actresses Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan Ruhi.

Meanwhile, the government has made temporary arrangements to accommodate 350 MPs till the time they are allotted full-time official residences in Lutyens' Delhi.

In the past, newly-elected MPs used to stay in five-star hotels, but this practice has been dropped following the Lok Sabha Secretariat's cost-cutting measures.

The BJP-led NDA government started its second term as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the other ministers of his council took the oath of office on May 30.