The saga of 6, Krishna Menon Marg continues — if with a fresh twist. The Ministry of Urban Development has no idea of the whereabouts of the file containing the recent history of the ministerial bungalow. The Ministry is also unaware of the losses incurred on keeping the bungalow vacant.
The bungalow, which doubles as the “Babu Jagjivan Ram memorial' (a large sign-board declares as much), was allotted to Meira Kumar on June 4, 2004, soon after she took charge of the Ministry of Social Justice. With Ms. Kumar choosing not to move in, the bungalow became a focal point for the activities of the Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation. A bust of “Babuji,” who served in various positions including as Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, came up on the premises as did the memorial sign-board. Ms. Kumar herself oversaw the functions held in her father's memory.
When Ms. Kumar became Speaker of the Lok Sabha she moved into the 20, Akbar Road, the designated residence of the Speaker. But curiously, 6, Krishna Menon Marg, continued to remain unoccupied, barring for activities relating to the Foundation, among them the birth anniversary celebrations of Jagjivan Ram. This despite a Cabinet decision taken in the year 2000 against conversion of official bungalows into memorials.
An RTI application filed by Subhash Chandra Agrawal returned the reply that the Bungalow was still to be allotted after Ms. Kumar's departure. When Mr. Agrawal – with the backing of the Central Information Commission – sought to probe the loss to the exchequer on accounting of the Bungalow remaining vacant, the Ministry expressed its difficulty in divulging the details, because as it noted rather regretfully, “despite best possible efforts, the relevant file could not be located.”
