Even as a heated spat continues over a place to stay for the Delhi chief minister, another bungalow in Civil Lines — just 400 metres away from 6, Flag Staff Road and the only one that has housed at least three CMs in the past — has quietly fallen out of favour.
Branded by Delhi’s political class as “jinxed”, 33, Shamnath Marg has not been considered for the CM’s residence or even that of a member of the legislative assembly for over 20 years now.
Built in the 1920s, the two-storey bungalow was allotted as the home of Chaudhary Brahm Prakash when he took over as Delhi’s first chief minister in 1952. Though it has a relatively humble entrance, its proximity to the Delhi legislative assembly complex – located merely two doors down from the bungalow – made it the obvious choice for the person in the hot seat.
The four-bedroom house has a spacious front lawn with fountains, a large living and drawing area, an outhouse, and seven staff quarters.
But no politician wants to live there anymore.
Today, the gate of the bungalow remains open, and an unarmed guard there is happy to let in anyone who comes to visit. The sprawling lawns look unkempt, with dried leaves strewn about. A few DDDC staffers can occasionally be seen walking around the main complex, but the building is devoid of the hustle and bustle that is generally characteristic of an important government building.
“This was among the largest bungalows held by Delhi agencies, and it was supposed to eventually be the official residence of the Delhi CMs. However, once it got the jinxed status, there were just no takers. Politicians tend to be superstitious; if something becomes infamous for causing a loss of power, it seldom becomes popular again. Later, even government officers started refusing to take it,” said a senior PWD official.
Myth and misfortune
According to records accessed by HT, the bungalow was allotted to at least five people between 1952 and 2013. Four of them had to resign prematurely.
The first was Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, who had to quit as CM in 1955 before his term could end over an alleged “jaggery scam”.
After this, the Delhi legislative assembly was dissolved, and it is unclear who was allotted the house for the next few years.
Later, when Madan Lal Khurana became the first chief minister under the new structure of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in 1993, he was allotted this cavernous bungalow. But he, too, had to resign prematurely in 1996 due to an alleged hawala scandal.
It is around this time that the first murmurs of the house bringing “bad luck” started, PWD officials said.
Officials from the time say that, owing to this “jinx,” Saheb Singh Verma, the next CM who was also allotted the same house, did not move there with his family. Instead, he decided to run only his camp office from the bungalow.
“Verma had heard of this bungalow’s jinx, so he did not want to move in with his family. The bungalow remained allotted to him, and he worked from there sometimes. However, even he had to resign before completing his term and elections could be announced. This sealed the fate of the bungalow, as no other CM accepted it [as their residence] after that. Even MLAs refused to take it. Officers at the secretariat would joke that if someone was going there for work or to get a file signed would probably meet with an accident,” said SK Sharma, who served as the secretary of the Delhi assembly for 10 years.
In his book on the Delhi secretariat, Sharma has dedicated a chapter to 33, Shamnath Marg.
When Sheila Dikshit became the next Delhi CM in 1998, the bungalow — being the largest on offer — was allotted to her. But she declined to move in and opted to stay at the much smaller residence — AB-17, Mathura Road.
Arvinder Singh Lovely, a former minister in the Dikshit government, told HT that he lived in a neighbouring house – 9, Shamnath Marg – for several years, and was well aware of the reputation of the house as being “jinxed”
“After Madan Lal Khurana’s resignation, nobody really took fancy to the house. Even his immediate successor Saheb Singh Verma decided to not shift there … When Sheila Dikshiit became CM, she opted to continue in the smaller bungalow that she lived in New Delhi. It [AB-17, Mathura Road] was actually part of the central pool at that time during the Vajpayee government. She still insisted and got it allotted for herself,” said Lovely.
The unwanted house
The bungalow on 33, Shamnath Marg was then reduced from housing chief ministers to becoming a destination that hosted official government parties, lunches, iftar parties, press conferences, and meetings.
When Deepchand Bandhu became the labour minister in Dikshit’s cabinet in 2001, he insisted that the house be allotted to him, arguing that he did not believe in superstition.
“He died in 2003 after contracting an intestine infection while being a resident of the house for only seven months. After this, even MLAs and officers started to refuse the house. Left with no takers, PWD turned it into an official guest house for several years,” the PWD official said.
Its next occupant, Shakti Sinha, a 1979 batch IAS officer and principal secretary of power and finance departments in Dikshit’s government, moved there in 2013, only to vacate it within a year after he opted for voluntary retirement.
Again, in 2014, it was decided that the bungalow would be operated as a state guest house, and PWD even delisted it as a residential accommodation that year.
However, after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took over and the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDDC) – the newly formed policy think-tank of the Delhi government – stumbled upon the “unwanted” bungalow and it was turned into the DDDC office.
Once at the core of some of the most progressive policies announced by the AAP government, the lieutenant governor dissolved the body and sealed the office in 2022.
PWD officials responsible for allotting government buildings said there has been no requisition for it in the past two years, and it may be taken off the list of buildings for allotment once DDDC vacates it. While the body has been dissolved, its office still operates with skeletal staff.
“There are a couple of consultants and a few interns working on research and data analysis. We have no idea about the technicalities of the allotment,” said a staff member at 33, Shamnath Marg, last week, asking not to be named.
“DDDC officials continue to sit there, but it is not like anybody has asked for it or that its in any demand at all. Even if they vacate, nobody will take it. We are actually not even sure what we will do with it,” said a senior PWD official.
Officials, meanwhile, have an inside joke — they say they may soon be forced to add the bungalow to the list of Delhi’s haunted attractions.
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