Confusion prevails over Mayor’s new residence

While the announcement for the memorial drew cheers from Sena corporators in the BMC, those close to Ambekar had said she wasn’t keen on moving to the bungalow in the Byculla zoo. The alternative to that was the municipal commissioner’s bungalow on Carmichael Road, which the mayor reportedly prefers over the Byculla property.

“The mayor is the first citizen of the city. She should be accommodated in the next best option, which is either the MC’s bungalow or DMC’s bungalow in Malabar Hill,” said a Sena corporator not wishing to be named.

The bungalow in Byculla zoo was vacated by SRA chief Aseem Gupta in October and is in need of repairs.

Interestingly, officials of ward E say the development plan has no mention of the residential bungalow in the Byculla despite a revision in the new DP. “The earlier version of the DP had labelled the entire plot as Byculla zoo. We revised the plan and mentioned ‘zoo+garden’, which is meant for purely recreational purposes,” said a sub-engineer of the ward.

The heritage bungalow, spread over 6,000 square feet, has a sprawling garden.

The state government’s decision to turn into a memorial a mansion that has been a home to 76 Mayors since the BMC purchased it in 1962 had drawn the ire of members of the Opposition.

A BMC official, requesting anonymity, said, “This decision taken by the state government contradicts the central government’s order of 2014 that said residential buildings allotted for politicians are not allowed to be converted into memorials.”

Vishwas Rao, a Sena members and leader of the House, however, said, “The mayoral bungalow will definitely be turned into a memorial for Balasaheb. But no decision has been taken about where the mayor will shift.”

Asked about the progress in shifting the Mayor to another house, a senior civic official said, “The BMC has not received any official word from the state government on the Mayor being shifted to another accommodation. If and when they send official directions, we will renovate the bungalow for the Mayor.”
Despite several calls and messages, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta was not available for comment.