BANGALORE: The decision to demolish the Balabrooie bungalow was prompted by the fear that it is haunted, Express has learnt.
According to an MLA who did not want to be named, the decision was the result of many legislators feeling spooked. “Nobody was ready to use this ghost bungalow,” he said.
The bungalow sits on a 14-acre plot on Palace Road, near Vidhana Soudha and Windsor Manor.
Bangalore MLAs say they want the 200-year-old colonial structure preserved. Mahatma Gandhi and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had stayed at the bungalow during their visits to Bangalore.
“I am for retaining Balabrooie, which exudes an old-world charm,” said N A Haris, Congress MLA from Shantinagar. “I was not present when the issue of demolishing the bungalow came up for discussion.”
Haris wants the land around the bungalow to be used for the construction of the Legislators’ Club. “I will convey my suggestion to the government and the Speaker,” he said.
Like Haris, L A Ravisubramanya, BJP legislator from Basavanagudi, is for retaining Balabrooie and building the club around it. He said he could do little now as the government had already taken a decision.
D H Shankaramurthy, chairman of the Legislative Council, defended the decision to demolish Balabrooie. “It has no historic value, except that it was built during the pre-Independence era,” he said.
“Its demolition will ensure optimum use of available space.” He said preserving it next to the proposed club would “not look good”.