'Super-bungalow' in Lutyens’ zone for Mayawati, unauthorized construction in another: CPWD

NEW DELHI: BSP chief Mayawati has cornered three Type VIII Lutyens’ Delhi bungalows to create one ‘superbungalow’ and has put up unauthorized temporary construction in a fourth one, according to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

Three Type VIII government bungalows, with four bedrooms each, were allocated in the name of Mayawati, BSP and a trust run by the party, on Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, next to Parliament House. These bungalows have since been combined into one in the name of Bahujan Prerna Trust, according to documents available under RTI in response to an application filed by activist S C Agrawal.

Incidentally, this superbungalow has been approved by the Directorate of Estates. Besides the three bungalows, the BSP chief has a bungalow in her name at 4, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, which is separate from these three. According to the RTI reply, unauthorized construction of rooms, office, toilet, kitchen along with fibre sheet covering an area of 238 sq m has been added at bungalow No.12. This bungalow is allotted to the chairman , managing trustee of Bahujan Prerna Trust.

In bungalow No.16, which has been allotted to the BSP president, the unauthorized construction includes rooms and a toilet, a shed along with three other rooms and a bathroom . In addition, there is a construction of tin sheets made of steel and metal.

Terming the allotment “illegal” , Agarwal has sought a probe into it. “There should be a proper inquiry into the allotment of bungalows because it is a violation of rules of Lutyen’s bungalow zone.”

Mayawati is not the only one. Besides occupying the Speaker’s bungalow, Meira Kumar continues to retain the house on 6, Krishna Menon Marg which was first allotted to her mother, then her and now has been allotted to a trust named after her father — the Babu Jagjivan Ram Foundation.

To a question about BJP objecting to UPA having allocated three bungalows to BSP for a party office and citing it as an example of how the Congress-led government seeks support from allies, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said he did not have the complete facts of the case but added that the BJP-led NDA government had been pulled up by courts for allotting institutional land to RSS-affiliated organizations in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.