Rs 3.22 cr was allotted for Mulayam Singh Yadav’s house on Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. Express file
OF THE total money spent on civil works related to renovation, decoration and maintenance of bungalows allotted to five former chief ministers of the state by the Uttar Pradesh government in the past 14 years, nearly 79 per cent has been spent on the house of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav alone.
In these 14 years, Mulayam was the chief minister from August 2003 to May 2007, Mayawati from May 2007 to March 2012, and Akhilesh Yadav from March 2012 to March 2017. The BJP government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took over in March 2017.
Overall, the state government has given Rs 4 crore for the Lucknow bungalows of Mulayam, Kalyan Singh, N D Tiwari, Rajnath Singh and Mayawati. Mulayam’s house was allotted Rs 3.22 crore.
In fact, the largest chunk of the Rs 4 crore allotted to these bungalows, or Rs 3.77 crore, was spent under the previous SP government, led by Akhilesh Yadav. Apart from Mulayam’s bungalow, his government cleared money for the houses of Tiwari and BJP ex-CM Kalyan Singh.
This was revealed in reply to an RTI query by The Indian Express on expenses on renovation and decoration of ex-CM bungalows between 2004-05 and May 2018 by the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department. The department did not elaborate on the nature of the work done.
In May, the Supreme Court ordered the ex-CMs to vacate the bungalows allotted to them, following which they all did so. The bungalows have not been allotted to anyone else as of now.
The reply by the state Estate Department to another RTI query shows that many of these bungalows, meant for ex-CMs, were allotted to the five while they still held power.
The RTI findings:
Mulayam Singh Yadav’s bungalow
5, Vikramaditya Marg, Rs 3.22 crore
The Estate Department allotted this bungalow to Mulayam first on April 16, 1991. It was re-allotted to him on January 4, 2017.
Mulayam’s first term as CM was from December 5, 1989, to June 24, 1991. The bungalow was hence allotted to him two months before he lost in the Assembly elections.
Between 2006-07 (when Mulayam himself was the CM) and 2014-15 (when Akhilesh was in power), a total of Rs 3.22 crore was spent on the bungalow. Under Mulayam, the department spent Rs 74,069 on renovation. Then, over the next five years of the Mayawati-led BSP government, Rs 5.16 lakh was spent. After Akhilesh became the CM in March 2012, the expenses over the next three years shot up to Rs 3.16 crore — the first year, Rs 41 lakh on renovation and Rs 1.29 crore on decoration and maintenance; next year, Rs 1.29 crore on renovation and Rs 14.49 lakh on decoration and maintenance; and in 2014-15, Rs 2 lakh on renovation.
Incidentally, the bungalow next to 5, Vikramaditya Marg, was allotted to Akhilesh as ex-CM. Akhilesh too had to vacate the bungalow after the SC order. The RTI reply did not include details regarding Akhilesh’s bungalow.
N D Tiwari’s bungalow
1-A, Mall Avenue, Rs 48.84 lakh
The bungalow was allotted to Tiwari on November 7, 1989, nearly a month before his last term as CM ended, on December 5, 1989.
Since 2004-05, the UP government has spent Rs 48.84 lakh on renovation of the bungalow. Nearly 86 per cent of that amount — Rs 42.5 lakh — was allotted during the Akhilesh government.
During that time (2012-17), Rs 5 lakh was spent on the bungalow the first year, Rs 7 lakh the next year, Rs 18.5 lakh the year after that, and Rs 12 lakh in 2015-16. Under the current Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, Rs 2.59 lakh was allotted in 2017-18.
The Mulayam government of 2003-07 allotted the bungalow Rs 1.13 lakh, while the Mayawati government (2007-12) gave Rs 2.62 lakh.
Kalyan Singh’s bungalow
2, Mall Avenue, Rs 23.75 lakh
Kalyan was allotted the bungalow on July 28, 1992. Having been sworn in on June 24, 1991, he was in power till December 6, 1992, when he had to resign following the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Of the total money spent on the house, the maximum (Rs 17 lakh) was spent under the Akhilesh government (2012-17). While the bungalow was allotted Rs 5 lakh in 2012-13, it got Rs 12 lakh in 2013-14. No money was spent on the maintenance of the bungalow the next three years. But after the BJP come to power in the state in 2017, the government spent Rs 1.78 lakh on the bungalow.
Earlier, during Mulayam’s reign of 2003-2007, Rs 1.87 lakh was spent on the bungalow, while the Mayawati government of 2007-12 gave it Rs 3.1 lakh.
Currently the Governor of Rajasthan, Kalyan had resigned from the BJP in January 2009 to join hands with the SP. Having contested as an Independent from Etah and won, he had parted with the SP the same year and formed the Rashtriya Jan Kranti Party. In January 2013, Kalyan had returned to the BJP, merging his party with it.
Rajnath Singh’s bungalow
4, Kalidas Marg, Rs 7.65 lakh
The bungalow was allotted to Rajnath on November 18, 2000, less than a month after he took over as CM, on October 28, 2000. Rajnath remained in the post till March 7, 2002.
The house has seen Rs 7.65 lakh spent on it since 2004-05 for renovation. While the Mulayam government of 2003-07 gave it Rs 1.07 lakh; the Mayawati regime of 2007-12 allowed Rs 1.97 lakh; while the previous Akhilesh regime sanctioned Rs 2 lakh. Most of the money, Rs 2.61 lakh, has come its way under the current BJP government.
Mayawati’s bungalow
13A, Mall Avenue, Rs 4.76 lakh
The department did not specify when the bungalow was allotted to her.
As per the RTI reply, Rs 4.76 lakh was spent on its renovation from 2004-05 to 2011-12. Of that amount, Rs 3.12 lakh was spent during her 2007-12 government; and Rs 1.64 lakh under the Mulayam government of 2003-07. No fund has been spent by the PWD on it since she lost power in 2012.