7'favourite' bungalows of legislators in Bihar may come down

1 Apr, 2007
PATNA: Seven sprawling government bungalows, which are in high demand among Bihar ministers, legislators and officials will be demolished soon.

They will be replaced by multi-storied buildings, clubs, gymnasiums, multiplexes, shopping malls and schools.

"The government bungalows, right from L N Mishra Institute of Economic Development and Social Change to Hartali Mor on Bailey Road , will be demolished. I have given an order to this effect.

We have asked an architect to make the future plans," state housing and building construction minister Monazir Hasan told TOI. He said occupants of these sprawling bungalows occupy around 50 acres of prime land in the state capital.

Ironically, the minister himself occupies one of the most well-furnished bungalows."I will be the first victim of my own order. But, I think a minister does not need a sprawling campus having four to five acres land,"

Hasan said. He said his department's aim is to do away with the resentment among legislators over allotment of houses and controversy that some legislators are more privileged than others."We will construct flats for all the legislators on prime land,"

said the minister. He, however, made it clear that the ministers will continue to enjoy the facilities of bungalows."In Bihar , there will be maximum 36 ministers, and, they will be accordingly allotted bungalows. If a legislator later becomes a minister, he will be given a bungalow and the flat allotted to him earlier will remain vacant,

" the minister said. According to sources, the decision to demolish these seven bungalows was taken at the behest of chief minister Nitish Kumar. The CM reportedly told a minister and another JD(U) MLA Shrawan Kumar, who are among the"lucky seven"

occupants of the aforesaid bungalows, that they were uselessly occupying prime land in the state capital. He had also advised that the sprawling bungalows be demolished for a more meaningful purpose."You people must be having sleepless nights due to the blaring sound of heavy vehicles plying on Bailey Road during the night,"

he had joked with the visibly uneasy JD(U) leaders. Meanwhile, the decision to demolish these bungalows has invited mixed response.

"It will be nice to have a swimming pool and gymnasiums in the new complex," said BJP MLA Rameshwar Prasad."Let the proposal take a concrete shape.

All of Nitish Kumar's proposals are still on paper," said RJD MLA Shyam Rajak. The government is hopeful that once the complex comes up, reports of forcible occupation of bungalows by newly-elected MLAs will become a thing of the past.