The official residence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat is all set to be converted into a Covid-19 care centre.
CM Rawat, who is now operating from another government accommodation, made the announcement on Thursday.
“We are geared up for the third wave of Covid. In fact, we are converting the chief minister’s house into a Covid centre,” he told News18, while responding to a query on the state’s preparation for the third wave.
The CM’s official residence is spread across 10 acres and nestled in one of the greener areas of Dehradun. Constructed at a whopping cost of Rs 16 crore, the bungalow has eight king-size bedrooms, a couple of living rooms, a huge hall and ample space to conduct official works.
The buzz is that the CM’s residence proved to be a jinx for its occupants. Previous chief minister Trivendra Rawat, who stayed in the bungalow, was replaced by the incumbent CM earlier this year.
The bungalow used to have a swimming pool, which was dismantled owing to ‘Vastu issues’ in 2018 days before CM Trivendra was shifted.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was the first occupant of the priced bunglow. He, however, could not complete even two years and days before the assembly elections, BC Khanduri was sworn in as the CM.
Asked by News18 recently as to why he has not moved to the official residence, the chief minister had replied, “I am already using the government’s residence,”
Tirath is believed to function from a relatively small government accommodation, known as the ‘safe house’, located nearby the official bungalow.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has been quick to react. Party vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said, “The CM himself considers the official residence unlucky, but wants others (Covid patients) to stay there.”
Congress’s own chief minister Harish Rawat, who was at the helm of affairs from 2014 to 2017, also maintained a safe distance from the official residence. He was considered to be a strong believer of astrology.
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