The spacious controversial plush Malabar Hill bungalow of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Hydraulic Department ownership allotted to former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ blue eyed IAS officer Praveen Darade until his retirement under a special notification has now been allotted to current Maha Vikas Aghadi Minister of Textiles, Ports and Fisheries and Guardian Minister of Mumbai Aslam Shaikh. When Shaikh was questioned whether he will take possession of the bungalow, he replied, “Yes, I will take possession of the bungalow in the next couple of days. Currently, my staff is working from the Mantralaya office. The allotted official residence will be helpful, as all my staff can operate from there and it will prove more convenient during this critical time. In this pandemic, I receive many calls even after office hours. If I take possession of the allotted residence, my staff, including my personal assistant (PA) and others, can help me. If required they can stay there and need not have to travel to their houses."
Interestingly, this bungalow was allotted to IAS officer Praveen Darade in 2014, who was posted as the then secretary in the ex- CM’s office. Darade's wife Pallavi Darade, an IRS, was at that time posted in BMC as an additional municipal commissioner. Before being transferred to Pune as a social welfare commissioner, Praveen was posted in BMC as an additional municipal commissioner, which was his last posting in Mumbai city.
The issue of Malabar Hill bungalow came into limelight after BMC was looking for a new residence for its then Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar after the bungalow at Shivaji Park was acquired for Bala Saheb Thackeray’s memorial. A notice was issued to Darade, asking him to vacate the bungalow. However, the Fadnavis-led state government supported and stated that Darade should not be asked to leave till his retirement or he continues to pay rent. Praveen Darade is a 1998 batch IAS officer and is slated to retire in 2028.
The Free Press Journal reporter sent queries, but Darade remained unavailable for any comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, Anil Galgali, a well-known RTI (Right To Information) activist has raised objection over the allotment of the bungalow to Shaikh. Galgali said, "BMC had earlier forced the IAS officer Pravin Darade to vacate the bungalow on the basis that the structure is dangerous. Moreover, the BMC had claimed that it has the right to decide on the property, since it is owned by them. So why this haphazard allotment of this dangerous declared bungalow to the minister?"
The RTI activist has also complained to CM Uddhav Thackeray, terming it an ‘encroachment’ on the property of the BMC by the Maharashtra government and has demanded action and reconsideration. He further questioned how did the government, at the first point, allot BMC property, without taking approval? He claimed that, earlier, the state government had allotted Bel Heaven 1 to Shaikh, but later cancelled the order and allotted the dilapidated bungalow owned by the BMC to the minister.
Commenting on the claims that the allotted BMC's Hydraulic Department bungalow is in dangerous condition, Shaikh said, "The bungalow is not in a dangerous condition, but some repair of the reservoir below it is proposed to be carried out. The state administration has already put the condition that, whenever BMC wants to repair the reservoir, I have to vacate it. And I am ready for that."