Mumbai: Five months after he was forced to resign from the Maharashtra cabinet following the Beed sarpanch murder controversy, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde is yet to vacate the south Mumbai bungalow allotted to him as a minister, according to officials aware of the developments.
The penalty amount accumulated for not vacating the bungalow, Satpuda, since March, when Munde resigned, has crossed ₹42 lakh, officials said. When contacted, Munde said that he was unable to vacate the property immediately because of personal reasons.
Munde, an MLA from the Parli assembly constituency in Beed district, found himself in the midst of a major controversy after his close aide, Walmik Karad, was arrested as one of the prime accused in the brutal murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in December. After mounting pressure, he eventually resigned as a minister on March 4, albeit citing health grounds. He was holding the food and civil supplies portfolio at the time.
According to the rules formulated by the state government’s general administration department (GAD), a minister can use their official bungalow for up to 15 days after being relieved from the ministerial position. “But if the property was not vacated after 15 days, then the individual will have to pay ₹200 per square foot per month for using the property and other facilities,” states a government resolution issued by the GAD on January 9, 2020.
In Munde’s case, his 15-day grace period to stay at the official bungalow without charges ended on March 19. “It has been four and a half months since he has been staying at the bungalow. According to the rules, the total amount needed to be paid for the same has crossed ₹42 lakh,” said a government official, requesting anonymity.
The Satpuda bungalow, located in south Mumbai’s upscale Malabar Hill area, is spread across a sprawling 4,667-square-foot area. According to officials, the monthly charges for staying at the property go up to ₹9,33,400. Munde was allotted the bungalow in December after he was appointed the new food and civil supplies minister.
When contacted, Munde said that he was not keeping well. “Everyone knows I’m facing health issues. My daughter is also studying in a nearby school and, hence, moving out of this place is an issue,” he said. The former minister also said that he is not the only one who overstayed at a government property. “So many people have overstayed in government-allotted houses in the past. In my case, the reasons are also genuine,” he added.
Munde has also requested the government to give him more time to vacate.
This has created a problem for Chhagan Bhujbal, who replaced Munde as food and civil supplies minister. The veteran NCP leader was allotted the Satpuda bungalow on May 24, but has been unable to move in.
When contacted, Bhujbal said he cannot complain because Munde is his colleague. “The most I can do is request the chief minister to allot an alternative place,” he said. Bhujbal added that his party head and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is also aware of the situation.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that he allowed Munde to stay on at the bungalow for a specific period. “I don’t know the amount of penalty for overstaying. It is true that I had permitted him to stay at the property for some time, and I don’t know if that period is over or not. I will check the details,” said Fadnavis, who also has the right to waive off the penalty.