New govt faces home truths as ministers fight for bungalows
Senior ministers such as Eknath Khadse, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vinod Tawde and Prakash Mehta have made clashing demands for prime government residences in SoBo.
A fortnight after the BJP took charge of the state, a tussle appears to have broken out among its senior ministers over allotment of plush government bungalows in south Mumbai.
Six out of the 10 sworn-in ministers, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, have been given official accommodation. The allotments for the other four, however, have been put hold because of clashing demands, said sources in the new government.
Khadse, the sources said, wants to move into either Ramtek or Devgiri. Both the bungalows are in Malabar Hill. Mungantiwar has also made a similar demand, with the sea-facing Ramtek being his first preference.
An official in the General Administration Department (GAD) said that Mungantiwar had even made a formal request to Fadnavis. He, however, said: “I had written to the chief minister as officials suggested it. There is no tussle for accommodation, which is least of our bothers.”
Ramtek’s previous resident was NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. The 8,857-sq ft bungalow is the largest after the chief minister’s official residence, Varsha.
Tawde apparently wants to live either in Devgiri or Dnyaneshwari, both of which are in Malabar Hill. Former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar previously lived in Devgiri.
Mehta, according to the sources, prefers Parmakuti.
The said bungalows have similar amenities, but it’s their location and the status of previous occupants that have led to the scramble among the new BJP ministers.
Even though the state government can have a maximum of 42 ministers, it has only 33 bungalows that can be allotted as official residences. Out of these, 19 are in Malabar Hill, the most sought after address among ministers, while the rest are located around Mantralaya.
The ministers who are left out are usually accommodated in plush apartment towers such as Suruchi and Suniti in Nariman Point and in Ambar-Awanti in Churchgate.
The sources in GAD said that even the BJP ministers who have been given bungalows were not entirely happy with the allotments. Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde wanted to shift to Ramtek as her father, Gopinath Munde, had lived there between 1995 and 1999 when he was the deputy chief minister
Pankaja, however, has been allotted the smaller Royal Stone bungalow on Pedder Road.
Khadse’s close aides say he should be allotted Ramtek - which was recently renovated by Bhujbal and has private access to the sea - as he is the most senior minister in the cabinet.
But Mungantiwar’s supporters say he, too, is a senior leader and has the right to demand accommodation of his choice.
“We had sent a list of all the vacant bungalows to the chief minister’s office. He, however, has put the allotment of remaining bungalows on hold. There is a tussle between some ministers and he will have to sort it out,” a senior bureaucrat.
A BJP minister, who didn’t want to be named, said that he had opted for a less popular bungalow as he didn’t want to get caught up in the wrangling.
“I knew there would be a scramble for top bungalows. I picked a property that is not in demand,” he said. “Also, I didn’t want to wait longer as once more members are inducted in the cabinet, there will be a bigger fight.”
Fadnavis has been allotted two bungalows: the 12,000-sq ft Varsha, his official residence, and the adjoining Shivneri, which will serve as his office after it is spruced up.
“Shivneri has not been used for years. Prithviraj Chavan used Torna bungalow, which is in the same neighbourhood, as his office,” said another official in the General Administration Department. “From the point of security, it’s better if the chief minister has a separate office and residence.”
Apart from Pankaja, PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil and Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savra have also been allotted bungalows. Patil has moved into A9 near Mantralaya, whereas Savra has shifted to Sagar bungalow on Malabar Hill.
Chitrakoot, Sewa Sadan and Shivteerth bungalows - all in Malabar Hill - are also in demand. Chitrakoot’s previous resident was former home minister R R Patil.
A fortnight after the BJP took charge of the state, a tussle appears to have broken out among its senior ministers over allotment of plush government bungalows in south Mumbai.
Six out of the 10 sworn-in ministers, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, have been given official accommodation. The allotments for the other four, however, have been put hold because of clashing demands, said sources in the new government.
Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Education Minister Vinod Tawde and Industries Minister Prakash Mehta are yet to be given bungalows.
Khadse, the sources said, wants to move into either Ramtek or Devgiri. Both the bungalows are in Malabar Hill. Mungantiwar has also made a similar demand, with the sea-facing Ramtek being his first preference.
An official in the General Administration Department (GAD) said that Mungantiwar had even made a formal request to Fadnavis. He, however, said: “I had written to the chief minister as officials suggested it. There is no tussle for accommodation, which is least of our bothers.”
Ramtek’s previous resident was NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. The 8,857-sq ft bungalow is the largest after the chief minister’s official residence, Varsha.
Tawde apparently wants to live either in Devgiri or Dnyaneshwari, both of which are in Malabar Hill. Former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar previously lived in Devgiri.
Mehta, according to the sources, prefers Parmakuti.
The said bungalows have similar amenities, but it’s their location and the status of previous occupants that have led to the scramble among the new BJP ministers.
Even though the state government can have a maximum of 42 ministers, it has only 33 bungalows that can be allotted as official residences. Out of these, 19 are in Malabar Hill, the most sought after address among ministers, while the rest are located around Mantralaya.
The ministers who are left out are usually accommodated in plush apartment towers such as Suruchi and Suniti in Nariman Point and in Ambar-Awanti in Churchgate.
The sources in GAD said that even the BJP ministers who have been given bungalows were not entirely happy with the allotments. Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde wanted to shift to Ramtek as her father, Gopinath Munde, had lived there between 1995 and 1999 when he was the deputy chief minister
Pankaja, however, has been allotted the smaller Royal Stone bungalow on Pedder Road.
Khadse’s close aides say he should be allotted Ramtek - which was recently renovated by Bhujbal and has private access to the sea - as he is the most senior minister in the cabinet.
But Mungantiwar’s supporters say he, too, is a senior leader and has the right to demand accommodation of his choice.
“We had sent a list of all the vacant bungalows to the chief minister’s office. He, however, has put the allotment of remaining bungalows on hold. There is a tussle between some ministers and he will have to sort it out,” a senior bureaucrat.
A BJP minister, who didn’t want to be named, said that he had opted for a less popular bungalow as he didn’t want to get caught up in the wrangling.
“I knew there would be a scramble for top bungalows. I picked a property that is not in demand,” he said. “Also, I didn’t want to wait longer as once more members are inducted in the cabinet, there will be a bigger fight.”
Fadnavis has been allotted two bungalows: the 12,000-sq ft Varsha, his official residence, and the adjoining Shivneri, which will serve as his office after it is spruced up.
“Shivneri has not been used for years. Prithviraj Chavan used Torna bungalow, which is in the same neighbourhood, as his office,” said another official in the General Administration Department. “From the point of security, it’s better if the chief minister has a separate office and residence.”
Apart from Pankaja, PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil and Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savra have also been allotted bungalows. Patil has moved into A9 near Mantralaya, whereas Savra has shifted to Sagar bungalow on Malabar Hill.
Chitrakoot, Sewa Sadan and Shivteerth bungalows - all in Malabar Hill - are also in demand. Chitrakoot’s previous resident was former home minister R R Patil.
