Abig, beautiful bungalow, vaastu quotient intact, is what every newbie minister demands. What’s allotted is renovated and refurbished to suit the family’s tastes -- for the few years they live there. Just before New Year, chief minister Siddaramaiah moved into Cauvery, the sprawling government bungalow reserved for the CM; he spent close to Rs 1 crore to renovate and make it va a s t u - c o m p l i a n t , though he claims to be a non-believer. Before the CM moved in with his family, the flooring of the bungalow was changed, while the kitchen and puja room were structurally changed to face East. Five toilets were also redone. The CM’s residence on Kumara Krupa Road is attached to his home office, Krishna, another sprawling bungalow. Siddaramaiah is not alone. His predecessors have spent huge amounts too. When BS Yeddyurappa assumed power, he had spent Rs 1.69 crore to renovate the bungalow on Race Course Road (Rs 50 lakh on redoing his bedrooms: master bedroom fittings cost Rs 35 lakh and the second bedroom for Rs 15 lakh). He also sanctioned around Rs 10 crore to renovate the bungalows of his ministerial colleagues. His revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy had displayed a penchant for wardrobes and fitted out his bedrooms at a cost of Rs 8.08 lakh, and put in sanitary fittings worth Rs 7.20 lakh. Social welfare minister D Sudhakar had opted for a modular kitchen, priced at Rs 4.41 lakh. The Congress has allotted 18 government bungalows to its ministers and one to Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa. The rulebook suggests that if a minister is not allotted government quarters, he/she is free to rent a house approved by the Public Works Department (PWD), for which the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR) pays the rent. On June 29, just over a month after assuming power, the Congress government increased HRA from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month. This is to be increased by 10% after two years. The ministers are also entitled to Rs 10,000 per month as maintenance. Barring a few, ministers in Karnataka have always clamoured to get bungalows of their choice: huge, centrally located quarters close to Vidhana Soudha -- Sankey Road, Kumara Krupa East, Crescent Road, Devaraj Urs Road (Race Course Road), Jayamahal and near the golf course. They are built and maintained by the PWD. Lobbying is so strong that even opposition leader HD Kumaraswamy hasn’t got government accommodation. His open displeasure didn’t cut ice with the CM. During the BJP regime, ministers Shobha Karandlaje and Balachandra Jarkiholi had a tussle over the bungalow previously occupied by Yeddyurappa. For his loyalty during the political crisis, DV Sadananda Gowda, as CM, allotted the house to Jarkiholi. However, his successor Jagadish Shettar reallotted the same house to Karandlaje. Not wanting to lose the bungalow to his rival, Jarkiholi completed the house-warming ceremony without her knowledge. CM’S RESIDENCES ANUGRAHA • Official designated residence of the Karnataka CM • Biggest bungalow, sits on a 60-acre sprawl • IT minister SR Patil is the present occupant • Except for former CMs HD Deve Gowda, SM Krishna, N Dharam Singh, HD Kumaraswamy and DV Sadananda Gowda, none of the other CMs opted to live here • For three years during BJP rule, house was vacant as party didn’t think it lucky; it was ‘lucky’ for Deve Gowda who was elevated from CM to PM • Late BJP minister VS Acharya vacated the house within a week of occupying it, after he had a fall and broke his leg. His request for an elevator was not approved by PWD CAUVERY • Next door to Anugraha • Has seen maximum number of CMs, including Siddaramaiah • Many CMs and ministers have shunned Cauvery, which is believed to be jinxed, with those who occupy it losing power after a while MODEST MINISTERS • BJP’s education minister Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri, from Uttara Kannada, didn’t take up a rented house or government bungalow; he functioned from the Legislators’ Home • Janata Party ministers who represented Bangalore constituencies chose to stay in their houses in the city. Law minister A Laxmisagar shunned all opulence; his two-room tenement in Gandhinagar doubled as his official residence, despite being allotted a government house • His colleague M Chandrashekar functioned from Jayanagar, while minister VS Krishna Iyer worked from his Shankarapuram home – both typical old Bangalore residences VOICES OF REASON We have a tradition of VIP culture. AAP is making an attempt now to emphasize that power isn’t only about living in good bungalows, performance also matters. AAP is challenging this feudal culture with their new model. Their final test will be if they can go beyond the symbolic act and give good governance. Samuel Paul | FOUNDER, PUBLIC AFFAIRS CENTRE When persons occupy responsible positions in government, they should be given accommodation, which gives them personal privacy and also working space. I would follow Buddha’s Golden Mean which is the middle path. Sprucing up of government bungalows should be done in a balanced way. SR Hiremath | SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST Having palatial official bungalows is an absolute waste of public money, when thousands of people are shelterless. AAP has made it clear that if its members come to power, they will shun beacon lights and official cars. Sumit Negi | KARNATAKA STATE SECRETARY, AAP BIGGER THE BETTER: Houses allotted to chief ministers and their cabinet colleagues are regularly renovated and refurnished, though the occupant may be there for five years or even less NAMMA LUTYENS: Ministerial bungalows occupy acres of space in prime city areas
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 18:16:44 +0000
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