BENGALURU: First, it was the choice of portfolios. Then followed allocation of suitable rooms in Vidhana Soudha and even the official vehicles for the newly-inducted ministers. And now, it’s the problem of finding the right government accommodation for them. With only 23 bungalows in the city, some of the new ministers are scouting for rented accommodation close to the seat of power.
Till the new ministers were sworn in, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had 18 ministers in his cabinet and most of them were allotted houses in Bengaluru, excluding those from the city like Deputy CM Dr. C N Ashwath Narayana, Suresh Kumar, R Ashok and V Somanna. Of the 10 new ministers, three are from Bengaluru.
Sources in the Department of Personnel Administrative Reforms (DPAR) said the 23 government bungalows in Bengaluru have been allotted to ministers, judges and government executives.
These bungalows are located on Race Course Road, Kumara Krupa Road, Jayamahal Extension and other places. But now, with the cabinet expanding to 28 members, there is a shortage of bungalows. Some new ministers, including Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar, have been provided accommodation.
“They gave me a choice of a couple of bungalows and I selected the one in Jayamahal,” he said. But others are not as lucky as him. Agriculture Minister BC Patil, who is already upset with his office at Vikasa Soudha, said that he is yet to get an official bungalow.
“I own a house near Kammanahalli, which is some 10 km away from Vidhana Soudha. As a minister, I have to attend meetings at Vidhana Soudha, and farmers from across the state come to meet me. I cannot tell them to come all the way to Kammanahalli. I am looking for a rented house in and around Vidhana Soudha for ease of administration,” the minister said.
One of the ministers, who did not want to be named, said that ministers are eligible to get up to Rs 1.5 lakh as rent from the government.
“There are 23 bungalows, but many of them have been allotted to ineligible people. For instance, Honnali MLA M P Renukacharya, who is a political secretary to the CM, has been provided accommodation at the seven ministers’ quarters near Vasanth Nagar. Why should he be given a bungalow? Instead, it should have been allotted to a minister where people can go. The government is not only encouraging such ineligible people, but is also forced to pay the rent of other ministers,’’ he said.