Rejecting the myth regarding Chief Minister’s official residence being inauspicious for a person residing there, newly elected CM Raghubar Das will shift at his official residence at Kanke Road after January 14. A tender has already been floated by the State’s building construction department for the required repair work to be done before Das shifts in his official residence.
“Yes, we have been asked to make the building ready which has been lying vacant for over one and a half years for the new CM,” said Chief Engineer of Building Construction Department (BCD) Arvind Kumar Singh.
Proper instructions have been given to the officials and a tender has also been floated in this regard, he added. Sources close to the CM however, said that the officials of State BCD have been directed not to make extravagant expenditure for the repair work.
“Das, being rational and a person of open mindset has directed the officials to make no changes and go for only essential repair work into the building,” said BJP leader Pradeep Sinha. The CM held a meeting with the concerned officials on Monday and passed necessary directions to them, added Sinha. The officials concerned also asserted that they have been asked to do minimum expenditure into the building.
“As per the direction from the CM, minimum basic repair work is to be done into the building like construction of a garage, repair of the roof and cleaning of the premises,” said Executive Engineer PK Singh, who has been assigned to monitor the repair work. The repair work will be completed within a week and the building will be ready to move in by January 14, added Singh.
There is a myth in the political circles that the Kanke Road residence for CM has not been built entirely in accordance with Vaastu Shastra and hence, the occupants of the building fail to complete their terms as Chief Minister. Former CM Hemant Soren, probably due to the similar reasons, did not get into the official residence and managed to complete his term as Chief Minister. Recently, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda had to resign after remaining in the office for merely 860 days.
Similar was the fate of Madhu Koda during his lone stint as Chief Minister and remained in the office for 709 days while Munda during his second innings remained CM for only 555 days. The first Chief Minister Babulal Marandi was the first occupant of CM house who could not complete full term and had to resign only after 852 days.
Shibu Soren, who held the office thrice from March 2, 2005 to March 12, 2005, then from August 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 and again from December 30, 2009 to May 31, 2010 preferred his modest Morabadi home to the official Kanke Road residence during the first, second and third term. Similarly, his son Hemant Soren, after becoming Chief Minister in July 2013, also chose not to occupy the CM house and got his official residence renovated allotted to him in the capacity of a legislator.
