Amid controversy over official residence of Delhi CM, ex-Chief Secretary explains rules

New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) Amid the controversy surrounding the official residence of the Delhi Chief Minister, former Chief Secretary Alok Sehgal has clarified that no residence in Delhi is officially earmarked for any MLA except for the Raj Niwas, the residence of the city's Lieutenant Governor.

Sehgal explained that ministerial bungalows are subject to reallocation when a new minister takes office.

"There is no guarantee that the same house will be allotted to the next occupant," he told IANS, adding that proper procedures must be followed for all allotments.

“When Arvind Kejriwal became Chief Minister, he did not have a house. The house he occupied was originally the Chief Secretary's residence, which was lying vacant at that time, so it was allotted to him. Previous Chief Ministers, such as Sheila Dikshit and Madan Lal Khurana, lived at different locations, not at any designated residence for the Chief Minister,” he said.

Sehgal stressed that the process of allotting a residence involves multiple steps, including proper orders and formal authentication by senior government officials, such as an Under Secretary or Deputy Secretary.

"Even if someone is the Chief Minister, an order must still be passed, and without following proper procedure, occupying a government house is illegal," he told IANS.

He also pointed out that under government regulations, one cannot hold two government residences simultaneously.

Furthermore, Sehgal suggested that there may be a Vigilance enquiry underway regarding the current residence at 6 Flagstaff Road, which may explain why it has not been allotted yet.

On Wednesday evening, the PWD sealed the former official residence of Arvind Kejriwal at 6 Flagstaff Road, referred to as ‘Sheesh Mahal’, as no proper procedure was followed for the handover. The PWD has put a double lock on the gate of the house.

The Aam Aadmi Party, however, has claimed that CM Atishi was evicted from 6 Flagstaff Road and her belongings were thrown out.

Atishi had officially moved into the Chief Minister's residence at 6 Flagstaff Road on October 7, previously occupied by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. She had held her first meeting at the residence, engaging with the employees and officials working there on that day.

Kejriwal, on the other hand, had moved to a bungalow on Feroz Shah Road in Lutyens' Delhi, which has been allotted to Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, Ashok Mittal.