The Cost of Being Poor

Prithviraj Chavan’s desire to make his residence look less opulent will cost the public a few lakh

When Prithviraj Chavan took over as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the brief was simple—his predecessor was ousted on corruption charges and therefore the party’s image must be salvaged. To that end, Chavan has decided that austerity measures are in order, starting with the chief ministerial bungalow Varsha at Malabar Hill, one of the most expensive locations in the country.

Though it has been two months since he took over, Chavan has not moved in. Instead, he has instructed the Public Works Department to scale down the opulence of the residence. But here is where it gets a little farcical. According to sources in the department, to make the house look ‘poor’ will take at least a couple of lakh, which will come from the public exchequer.

Among the fancy elements that Chavan wanted removed were paintings and 26 air conditioners. Former CM Ashokrao Chavan, who vacated Varsha in November, liked the good life. There were two ACs in every room. The ACs get the boot because Chavan wants power consumption in the 12,000 sq ft bungalow reduced. PWD workmen are also scraping the walls and giving it a fresh coat of paint. “We have to scrape every inch of the place and pull down the wallpaper. Toning down takes money. The bill will run into some lakhs,” says the source.  When Vilasrao Deshmukh resided in Varsha, he had done up each room to vaastu specifications. Ashokrao took all that off. No prizes for guessing what will happen when the next Chief Minister is appointed, and who is going to pay for it.

About The Author

Haima Deshpande