Bihar govt allots 5 Desh Ratna Marg bungalow to Nishant Kumar

Patna, June 15 (IANS) A fresh political controversy has erupted in Bihar over the allotment of ministerial bungalows after the state government assigned the prominent residence at 5 Desh Ratna Marg in Patna to Nishant Kumar.

The issue has drawn political attention because the bungalow is located adjacent to the official residence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and was earlier occupied by him.

The bungalow at 5 Desh Ratna Marg had become vacant after an earlier proposal to merge or attach it to the Chief Minister’s residence was cancelled.

Following the reshuffle of official residences by the state’s Building Construction Department, the bungalow has now been allotted to Nishant Kumar.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been allotted the bungalow at 7 Circular Road, which is situated next to the newly allotted residence.

Prior to this change, Nishant Kumar had been allotted the bungalow at 2 Desh Ratna Marg. That residence has now been reassigned to Ram Kripal Yadav.

Sources indicated that the 2 Desh Ratna Marg bungalow was initially intended for Prem Kumar. However, the Speaker reportedly chose to continue residing in his existing government accommodation, after which the Building Construction Department approved the revised allotment.

At the same time, the controversy over the residence at 10 Circular Road involving former Chief Minister Rabri Devi remains unresolved.

The Bihar government reportedly issued a 15-day notice asking her to vacate the bungalow, and the deadline is now approaching. Although a substantial portion of belongings has reportedly been shifted from the residence, the bungalow has not yet been fully vacated.

The government has allotted a new residence at 39 Harding Road to Rabri Devi in her capacity as Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council. However, reports suggest she is reluctant to move there and may instead shift to a private residence.

Rabri Devi has also recently returned her government-provided security cover amid an ongoing political dispute over security arrangements for opposition leaders.

–IANS

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