Centre may evict Congress from Akbar Road Head Quarters

New Delhi, Sep 23: The Narendra Modi government is considering a proposal to evict Congress from its headquarters on 24 Akbar Road and three other bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi, besides demanding market rent on these properties since June 2013.

The development comes nearly two years after the BJP-led government served a notice to Congress to vacate the bungalows since the lease had run out. 24 Akbar Road has housed the principal opposition party since 1976.

Congress was allotted land in June 2010 for building a party office on 9-A Rouse Avenue. As per the government policy on allotment of land to political parties, a party gets three years to build its office after allotment of land. Therefore, the party was required to vacate the four bungalows leased to it by June 2013.

The Directorate of Estates, under urban development ministry, is planning to send a fresh notice to Congress to recover the outstanding dues, senior officials privy to the matter told ILT.

The directorate served a notice to Congress in this regard in January 2015, said one of the officials, who did not wish to be identified. Besides, the official said, the directorate has prepared an estimate on the outstanding dues for the bungalows including the ones on 26 Akbar Road, 5 Raisina Road and C-II/109 Chanakyapuri. While those on 24 and 26 Akbar Road are Type VIII bungalows, the other two are Type VI bungalows.