BENGALURU: Now that the seven new ministers have been inducted and even allocated portfolios, they are on a house-hunting spree in Bengaluru as all the government bungalows are full. According to information from the Department of Personnel Administrative Reforms, there are 23 government bungalows in Bengaluru that are allotted to ministers, judges and government executives.
These are located on Race Course Road, Kumara Krupa Road, Jayamahal Extension and other places in the state capital. While the CM has been allotted ‘Krishna’ and ‘Cauvery’, other official bunglows, including at 7 ministers’ quarters in Vasanthnagar, are occupied.
With just 23 bungalows, the State Government was able to provide them to the first set of 17 ministers who took oath in August 2019 and a few of those who took oath as ministers in February 2020. While ministers Dr K Sudhakar and B C Patil were lucky to get allotments, K Gopalaiah could not. “I had started looking for rented house near Vidhana Soudha and then Covid struck. Now, I am using my MLA office as minister’s office,’’ he said.
‘Houses near Soudha very expensive’
Minor Irrigation Minister C P Yogeshwar told TNIE, “I have to make some alternative arrangement like a rented house.’’ Sources in the DPAR said there are no vacant bungalows. “There is a provision to allow ministers take up buildings on rent for which government will pay `1.5 lakh per month,’’ the sources said. But the ministers are unhappy with the rent allowance. “Ministers prefer their office/ residence close to Vidhana Soudha. For `1.5 lakh, it is not possible to get an accommodation near Soudha as the rents are very high in the central business area.
The allowance has not been revised for many years,’’ said one of the staffers of a minister. The DPAR sources also said the new ministers have been given used Toyota Innovas for official use for now. “We need more vehicles as we gave some cars to the chairpersons of Boards and Corporations and also to the new ministers. There is a financial crisis, but if word comes from the CM’s office, we have to buy the new high-end cars for the new ministers,’’ they said.