| The fate of the apartment was brought up during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Defence. Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told committee members that the Ministry of External Affairs had written to the owner of the flat indicating the Indian Government's wish to end the lease. |
| The apartment had been leased to the Government of India for around $350,000 per annum. Agnihotri, who was running an office parallel to the Consul General in New York, has apparently vacated the house. |
| "The Foreign Secretary told us that Agnihotri's establishment in Madison Avenue was in the process of being wound up," said a member of the standing committee. |
| "There are some staff members, including one of officer rank, who will be 'adjusted' in different overseas wings of the Foreign Office," added the member. "The officer, in fact, has been told to await posting." |
| Agnihotri had been appointed as Ambassador-at-large, a post created especially for him during Vajpayee's second term as Prime Minister. An unprecedented move, it created resentment within the MEA over the parallel establishment. |
| In fact, during Agnihotri's tenure I-Day marches in New York were ridden with protocol issues as Agnihotri would insist on leading the march, while according to protocol, the Indian consul general in New York is supposed to do the same. |
| While the Madison Avenue apartment is to be surrendered, the Foreign Office has been advised to buy real estate in foreign countries instead of opting for the more expensive option of leasing. |
| "It was found that buying property through mortgaging was a cheaper alternative than leasing when it came to providing apartments for staff. The MEA said that they would look into the matter," said the member. |
| There is no proposal by the new government to appoint another Ambassador-at-large. The post is going to be abolished. |
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