Other States - Bihar   

Rabri Devi unlikely to quit bungalow

Deadline set in the eviction notice expires

PATNA: With the deadline set in the eviction notice served on her expiring today, a defiant former chief minister Rabri Devi is unlikely to vacate the 1 Anne Marg bungalow, the symbol of power for the last decade and a half, in the next few days, putting the authorities in a fix.

``Do you mean that Madam along with her family members shall be on the road? It is impossible to vacate the house unless the one allotted to her is spruced up and security concerns are taken care of,'' Bhola Yadav, a close aide of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, told PTI when approached for information on the fate of the eviction notice.

Nitish Kumar-led NDA government had on December 13 served a notice on the former chief minister who is also the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, asking her to vacate the bungalow within a week, failing which she would be `evicted'.

Charging her with `unauthorisedly staying' in the house in gross violation of the Bihar Government Premises Rent Realisation and Eviction (Act 1956) and related sub-rules, the notice issued by the state building department gave seven days for vacating the premises after getting the notice.

The state Building Construction Minister, Monazir Hasan, said, ``we don't want to get drawn into a political controversy, but everybody (apparently referring to the Lalu-Rabri duo) should follow the rules.''

Bhola Yadav, now private secretary to Rabri Devi, the Opposition leader, said, ``We have already informed the state building department authorities that Madam and her family won't move to the unfinished 10, Circular Road house allotted to her.''

``The height of the boundary of the house is yet to be raised. Sentry posts have not been constructed, walls are in dilapidated condition and tiles are broken,'' Yadav said, adding iron rods of the windows had rusted.

He said that in the allotment letter it was clearly mentioned that Madam might move ``only after completion of the renovation and repair work being carried out there''.

The house was earlier occupied by Lalu's high-profile brother-in-law and Gopalganj MP, Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav.

Building Construction Minister Hasan said that the house would be ready by this evening and handed over to them. ``What one can say at this stage is that the rules should be followed as they are applicable to all,'' he said, dismissing the RJD's charge of the NDA government engaging in ``a political vendetta''.

Engineers of the state building department supervising the repair and renovation works, said that the height of the boundary wall was raised and work was on to construct the sentry posts in accordance with the letter received from the ADG (Headquarters) Abhayanand.

``The house has been spruced up and all broken tiles have been replaced and new electrical wirings laid. We will be handing over possession to them by this evening,'' they said. - PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Rabri Devi unlikely to quit bungalow

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu