Welcome to the Mayor's guesthouse!

Vacant for the last 6 years, the Mayor's bungalow is being converted to a guesthouse for visiting officials

Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal has finally decided to convert the Mayor's bungalow at Shivaji Nagar to an official guesthouse. Instead of spending money and putting up officials at five star hotels, Rajpal has suggested using the Mayor's Guest House.

The Mayor hosts guests that include foreign delegates who come once a month. "There are over 40 foreign delegates who have come to meet the mayor in the past four years. Last month, we have had delegates from France and Poland and are expecting US delegates soon," said Bhagwan Panchmukh, a PA, at the mayor office.
Former leader of opposition Vikas Mathakari had criticised the construction. "It is a sheer waste of money, since no one uses it," he said.

Agreeing that PMC is already spending lakhs for such delegates in big hotels in Pune, Rajpal told MiD DAY,u00a0 "I want to save PMC's money by converting the bungalow into a Mayor's guest house. "The interiors need changes, and the exterior requires funds of Rs 50 lakh. We are considering a small garden restaurant."

The bungalow on Ghole Road is about one and half km away from PMC's main building. "We can save on the traveling expense. My party will agree to this change and we can enforce it for a good practical purpose," he added.

Rajpal currently lives in a three-bedroom flat in Rasta Peth, and occasionally visits the bungalow at least once a week to eat his tiffin, and for an afternoon siesta. "I can't bring my family or friends to this place because my people are in my ward and I can't compel them to come and stay here with me. I can't even call my friends and organise a party because it is a Mayor's bungalow, he added.

Spacious bungalow
It has five bedrooms with one big meeting hall with a kitchen and dining hall. Around Rs 2.5 crore of public money has been spent on constructing and maintaining the bungalow.

The former three women mayorsu00a0-- Deepti Chaudhhari, Rajani Tribuvan and Rajlaxmi Bhosale refused to stay there as it was inconvenient for them to shift with their families. The PMC spends around Rs 1.5-1.75 lakh a month for the bungalow. This ready-to-move-in bungalow has dining tables, air conditioning, and every other comfort in place.