Manmohan may shift to retirement house before Lok Sabha poll results

A sprawling bungalow on Motilal Nehru road is being readied for prime minister Manmohan Singh who may shift to his post retirement abode before Lok Sabha results are out on 16 May.

The prime minister office has instructed CPWD to complete all work in the bungalow by 30 April so that prime minister can shift anytime after that day, sources said.

The CPWD is carrying out renovation of the bungalow at 3 Motilal Nehru Road which was vacated by former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in February.

Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur had visited the bungalow in February before finalising it. They are currently staying at 7 Race Course Road, the official residence of the prime minister.

Constructed in 1920, the four-bed room bungalow is spread over 3.5 acre and has a bio-diversity park. It has office space that meets the requirement of a former PM.

The bungalow has been painted afresh and all the floor, roof and plaster damages have been repaired at a cost of over Rs 35 lakh.

Earlier when Sheila Dikshit was residing, it had wooden flooring over the original mosaic work. Now the wooden flooring has been removed and the mosaic has been polished.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) has surveyed the bungalow several times. CPWD officials said SPG is likely to handover its list of requirements soon, based on which infrastructure for security arrangement will be set up.