Pravin Darade, additional metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, will have to vacate his Malabar Hill bungalow as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday served an eviction notice, stating that the building is dilapidated.
But that does not guarantee the bungalow, civic sources said, to Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. The Shiv Sena wants this building for the Mayor, since the existing Shivaji Park bungalow is being converted into a memorial, and had locked horns with the Darade couple over it.
The government had allotted the bungalow, situated on top of the 136-year-old Malabar Hill reservoir, to Mr. Darade, when his wife, Pallavi Darade, was the additional municipal commissioner in BMC. Eventually, Ms. Darade was transferred out of BMC and is currently the FDA Commissioner. As per the government order, the bungalow would remain with Mr. Darade until his retirement in 2028.
This created uproar in BMC with the Sena leading corporators’ protest. There was a lot of correspondence between the civic administration and the State, but to no avail. The couple had also been served eviction notices in the past stating the bungalow is needed for the Mayor.
‘Tricky situation’
Meanwhile, the civic body appointed IIT-B to conduct a structural audit of all its reservoirs. It was found that the Malabar Hill reservoir requires extensive repairs and that the bungalow is dilapidated and needs to be demolished. The BMC notice, a copy of which is with The Hindu , said the bungalow needs to be vacated to carry out repairs. It ordered Mr. Darade to vacate or show cause why he should not be made to do so. He will be given a hearing on August 27.
“It seems the tricky situation has resolved itself. The audit says the bungalow needs to be demolished. So neither the couple nor the Mayor will get it,” a civic officer said.
Now, Mr. Mahadeshwar will have to choose from a list of plots where a new bungalow will be constructed. The State will have to give alternative accommodation to the Darades. Mr. Darade said, “The house has been allotted by the government. It was strengthened by BMC two years ago. I have completed M.Tech - structural engineering from IIT-M, and there is no necessity of demolition as the structure is not dilapidated. This is a ploy to spoil our name.”
