State Excise commissioner’s bungalow to be demolished

Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sumit Mullick has ordered demolition of the Excise Commissioner’s bungalow at CST to make way for Excise Bhavan even as the additional commissioner of BMC, Vijay Singhal, wants to continue staying here till he gets another accommodation.

Singhal wants the Hydraulic Engineers bungalow at Malabar Hill, which the MMRDA Additional Commissioner, Praveen Darade, is refusing to vacate, despite a notice from the BMC. Singhal was the excise commissioner of the state from July 2015 to August 2016 and has been staying in this bungalow since then. Soon after his term was over, V Radha took over from Singhal in 2016, but she stayed in a government building and was not interested in shifting to the Excise Commissioner’s bungalow. Her successor Ashwini Joshi stays in a government building at Marine Lines.

Read Also:
Bombay Gym ground was always for public

Meanwhile, Singhal has moved the government for an extension. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Chief Secretary Mullick confirmed that he had given orders to demolish the Excise Commissioner’s bungalow in a high power committee meeting last week. Singhal said, “As soon as I joined the BMC, I was entitled for accommodation. The municipal commissioner recommended my name for the Malabar Hill bungalow. The government has allowed me to retain the Excise Commissioner’s bungalow. I am willing to vacate the bungalow provided I get another one. Excise Bhavan must come up.’’

Read Also:
MMRDA doesn't own portions of Wadala land it is developing