33, Shamnath Marg: Delhi govt kicks off process to convert ‘jinxed’ bungalow to command centre

New DelhiThe Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi has invited bids for consultancy services to convert the bungalow at 33, Shamnath Marg, in Civil Lines—long regarded as “jinxed” in political and administrative circles—into an integrated control and command centre for the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)

New Delhi

The bungalow at 33, Shamnath Marg. (HT Archive)

The Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi has invited bids for consultancy services to convert the bungalow at 33, Shamnath Marg, in Civil Lines—long regarded as “jinxed” in political and administrative circles—into an integrated control and command centre for the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

Officials aware of the matter said the selected agency will be responsible for finalising the master plan layout, providing detailed architectural drawings, undertaking structural changes, and reviewing the landscape, among other necessities, for setting up a command centre.

A PWD official said that around ₹20 lakh would be spent on the planning. “The process will take around two months. The building will require structural changes to be used as an agency command centre. It will house officials from various agencies. Once the plans are ready, we are hoping to complete the changes in this financial year,” the official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Built in the 1920s, this four-bedroom colonial-era bungalow near the Delhi Assembly, meant to serve as the official residence of the Delhi chief minister, has earned a reputation as being politically “unlucky”, with at least five occupants between 1952 and 2013 exiting office abruptly. Spread across a large compound, it includes expansive lawns, fountains, an outhouse and staff quarters.

Delhi’s first chief minister, Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, moved into the residence in 1952 but left office before completing his term in 1955. After the Delhi Assembly was revived in 1993, the bungalow was allotted to chief minister Madan Lal Khurana. He resigned in 1996 over graft allegations linked to a hawala case, adding to the property’s “jinxed” superstition. His successor, Sahib Singh Verma, chose not to live there with his family and used it only as a camp office. He, too, failed to complete the full term.

Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit decided against moving into the bungalow after assuming office in 1998, preferring to stay at her private residence. Over the years, the property was occasionally used for official meetings and press conferences. The last full-time political occupant was former labour minister Deep Chand Bandhu, who lived there until his death in 2003.

Since then, the bungalow has largely remained vacant, with only a few short-term occupants, including senior bureaucrats. Several alternative uses were explored over the years. PWD considered converting it into a state guest house, while in 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government turned it into the office of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDDC), which was later dissolved.

The official cited above said that the command centre for DDMA is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response in the Capital. The redesign will be modelled around the Health Emergency Operations Centre in Bengaluru, with command-and-control systems, inter-agency coordination mechanisms and use of technology in disaster management. At present, the emergency operation centre of the DDA functions from its office in Civil Lines.

In her Budget 2026-27 speech, chief minister Rekha Gupta announced an allocation of ₹10 crore for setting up a state-of-the-art command centre.