GANDHINAGAR, Sept 29: The State Government's decision to defer construction of the proposed Raj Bhawan, for which the foundation stone was laid more than a year ago by the then prime minister I K Gujral, has attracted the displeasure of Governor Anshuman Singh.In a letter to Chief Secretary L S N Mukundan, the Governor's office has virtually accused the BJP Government of going back on its commitment to start construction, which was made by none other than Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel a few months ago.The letter also places on record the Governor's disapproval of the Government failure to inform Singh, who learnt of the Government decision from newspapers, and the reported remarks, made by certain Ministers at the Cabinet meeting on August 19, that there was no need to waste a large sum on Raj Bhawan when the Governor was always ``an outsider''.It would have been ``more decorus'' if the Roads and Building Minister had personally informed the Governor about the Government decision, says the letter, adding the remarks, ``if true, are not in good taste''.The Government is believed to have conveyed to Singh that the construction was deferred for want of funds. But Singh has reportedly pointed out purchases, running into crores of rupees, made for furnishing the offices and residences of the Chief Minister and Ministers, and the recent acquisition of a fleet of Cielo cars for the Ministers.Ever since the State Capital shifted from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar in 1978, a bungalow in the Ministerial Enclave, which was meant to be the Chief Minister's residence, is being used as Raj Bhawan. The Chief Minister lives in another bungalow close by.This was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, but continued for 20 years. Although a 38-acre plot was earmarked for Raj Bhawan in the master plan, the plan was approved only on January 26, 1997. In May the same year, the foundation stone was laid. After that, nothing happened.After Singh assumed office last April, he learnt about the Raj Bhawan project and made inquiries. He was told that his predecessor, Krishna Pal Singh, had made several expensive additions to the plan, like a swimming pool, a helipad and 20 luxury suits, pushing up the cost to over Rs 55 crore.The Government was of the opinion that such an ostentatious Raj Bhawan would be inappropriate for the state of Mahtama Gandhi. Singh agreed and the additions were dropped, bringing down the cost to Rs 21 crore. The Chief Minister then ``gave the impression that it was a mere formality'' to get the Cabinet approval.But the Governor got a shock when he learnt from newspapers that the Government had not only deferred the project, but certain Ministers believed that there was no need to waste money on a building which would always house an ``outsider''. The letter asks what was the need to invest ``so much governmental effort and money'' in making the proposal if it was to be dropped.The letter points out that the decision to construct Raj Bhawan was taken much before Singh came to the State. Also, he is unlikely to live in it, given the fact that the building would take a few years to be ready. But Singh was keen that Raj Bhawan should be built because it was an important institution and should, therefore, have a distinct presence in the Capital, like other institutions, for example the State Assembly, Gujarat High Court and the Secretariat.
