Mumbai mayor wants a plush home, but may have to move to the suburbs

Officials had expected mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar to move to a heritage bungalow at Byculla Zoo, which he rejected

Despite being the mayor of the richest civic body in Asia, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar is unlikely to get the plush residence he had demanded either at Malabar Hill or Carmichael Road in South Mumbai. As bureaucrats are unwilling to vacate these bungalows, Mahadeshwar may be forced to choose a spot to set up his new official residence from a list of vacant plots in suburbs.

Mumbai mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. (HT File Photo)

The Shivaji Park bungalow at Dadar, a grade II heritage structure, will be converted into a memorial for Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray. Mahadeshwar must move out before renovations begin. The civic administration had started renovating a vacant heritage bungalow at Byculla Zoo, expecting him to move in soon. However, in a blow to their plan, he was unwilling to move, citing the bungalow’s small size and the fact that it falls in a silent zone.

Mahadeshwar wrote to civic chief Ajoy Mehta, demanding that he be moved to the additional municipal commissioner’s plush bungalow at Malabar Hill, next to the water reservoir. On Tuesday, Mahadeshwar told HT that he would like to move to Mehta’s Carmichael Road bungalow.

“We are still trying to convince the mayor to move to the Byculla Zoo bungalow, which is vacant and currently undergoing renovations. Asking bureaucrats to move from their current residence is not something we are in favour of. If Mahadeshwar wants a structure that suits his stature as mayor of the richest civic body in Asia, we will construct one in the suburbs. We will submit a list of plots, of which he can choose one,” said a senior civic official.

“I am yet to receive any communication from the administration,” said Mahadeshwar.