Jharkhand's cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni finds himself in troubled waters over a swimming pool in his home in Ranchi with residents of the area up in arms and the chief secretary seeking details of the under construction project.
A group of irate residents in the Harmu housing colony here first lodged a complaint with the Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA) saying that the pool would exacerbate the water scarcity in the area.
When the RRDA failed to act, they petitioned Chief Secretary A K Chugh and demanded an immediate ban on construction of the swimming pool. Sources say that Chugh reacted with alacrity and has sought details from the RRDA related to the construction of the house and swimming pool.
He has also asked how much water the pool would take up, the availability of water in the locality and whether the RRDA had considered the aspect while approving the plans.
Questions are also being raised over the RRDA approving the building plans of the house in just a day.
"It normally takes one-month take to clear plans. RRDA officials should be booked for ignoring the vital points while passing the maps," said a resident, threatening to approach the courts if the government fails to act.
{{/usCountry}}"It normally takes one-month take to clear plans. RRDA officials should be booked for ignoring the vital points while passing the maps," said a resident, threatening to approach the courts if the government fails to act.
{{/usCountry}}"We have no enmity with Dhoni. We are just concerned about the water shortages we will face after the pool is constructed. It is matter of great pleasure for us that Dhoni will be our neighbour, but we cannot overlook the water problem," added another resident, Col (retd) R L Bhagat.
Furious fans attacked Dhoni's home in the colony when he scored zero against Bangladesh in the World Cup and India lost the match.
The state government had gifted Dhoni 5,000 sq ft land, the market price of which is Rs.4 million, for the house.