A few days after newly nominated Rajya Sabha member Sachin Tendulkar took oath to the Upper House on June 4, questions were raised over him being allotted 5 Tughlak Lane; a sprawling type VII bungalow located right opposite 12 Tughlaq Lane: the official residence of Congress party general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi.
Type VII houses are a prize catch, normally allotted to cabinet rank ministers. Incidentally other celebrities nominated to the Upper House at the same time as Tendulkar-like the Bollywood siren of yesteryears, Rekha-have not been considered yet for a government bungalow.
For politicians and parliamentarians, these huge white colonial bungalows of Lutyen’s Delhi, with their sprawling lawns, flowerbeds and long driveways are much sought-after status symbols.
The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha House Committee Bhubaneshwar Kalita, who is away in Guwahati, fielded the question from Express by saying, “Nothing is finalized on allotting a bungalow to Tendulkar. I have heard the reports. Once I’m back in Delhi on Monday, I may be able to examine requests from MPs for accommodation and decide.”
As per norms adopted by the Parliamentary House Committee, eight categories of MPs are eligible for posh bungalows in Lutyens Delhi. These include ones with ‘Z’ category security cover. They have to fill up a request form for the allotment of the bungalows. It is not clear whether Tendulkar has applied for a type VII house.
However, the government has hastily upgraded his security status to the Z plus category. Currently, Mumbai police is protecting Tendulkar.
The Home Ministry has directed Delhi Police on June 7 to provide Tendulkar with Z plus security whenever he is in the capital.