Deepak Kesarkar bags coveted Ramtek bungalow

The bungalow, smaller only than the chief minister’s official bungalow, Varsha, was earlier occupied by senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal

Mumbai: Underlining the pecking order in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis regime, school education minister Deepak Kesarkar beat other senior cabinet colleagues to the allocation of Ramtek bungalow as an official residence.

A view of Ramtek Bungalow (HT PHOTO)

The bungalow, located on Narayan Dabholkar road on Malabar Hill, is spread over 8,857 square feet (sq ft) and has private access to the beachfront as well as a sprawling lawn, making it one of the most coveted among official residences.

The bungalow, smaller only than the chief minister’s official bungalow, Varsha, was earlier occupied by senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, when he held the food and civil supplies portfolio in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime. Previous occupants of the bungalow include NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, NCP leader Eknath Khadse, and the late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde.

Kesarkar, who is a third-term Sena legislator from Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg district, shifted loyalties to Shinde after he staged a rebellion in June against former chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

The allocations of bungalows for 18 ministers who were newly inducted into the cabinet was announced on Tuesday.

Revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who is a Congress import to the BJP, will get the Royalstone bungalow off Peddar Road, which is 7,357 sq ft, while senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar will stay in Parnakuti (5,915 sq ft) on Malabar Hill. Their party colleagues tribal development minister Dr Vijaykumar Gavit, rural development minister Girish Mahajan and social justice minister Suresh Khade have also secured houses on Malabar Hill, which is among Mumbai’s most coveted addresses. They will reside at Chitrakoot (4,265 sq ft), Sevasadan (6,310 sq ft) and Dnyaneshwari (4,347 sq ft) respectively. Ministers from the Shinde camp such as industries minister Uday Samant, water supply minister Gulabrao Patil and FDA minister Sanjay Rathod have also secured bungalows in the vicinity, at Muktagiri (4,219 sq ft), Jetvan (4,667 sq ft) and Shivneri (4,260 sq ft) respectively.

Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil will however stay in a relatively modest dwelling—the B-1 (Sinhagad; 2,663 sq ft) bungalow opposite Mantralaya in Nariman Point. Patil’s neighbors will be tourism minister Mangalprabhat Lodha (B-5/ Vijaydurg; 1,983.17 sq ft), state excise minister Shambhuraj Desai (B-4/ Pavangad; 2,668.11 sq ft), co-operation minister Atul Save (A-3/ Shivgad; 2,663 sq ft), public works department minister Ravindra Chavan (A-6/ Raigad- 2,553.76 sq ft) and employment guarantee scheme minister Sandipan Bhumre (B-2/ Ratnasindhu; 2,065.28 sq ft). Agriculture minister Abdul Sattar will occupy B-7/ Panhalgad.

The state government has 19 bungalows on Malabar Hill and 19 bungalows opposite Mantralaya that are allocated to ministers. Other ministers are allotted flats in Nariman Point or Malabar Hill.