New day, new crore added to debt by Shinde Cabinet

Rs 60 lakh will be required for the new chambers. Another Rs 60 lakh will be earmarked for decidedly down market ‘‘barracks’’ on the seventh floor of the Mantralaya.

The Indian Express had reported recently that the government’s long-term solution to the age of jumbo ministries is to sanction the construction of a six-storey Annexe to the Mantralaya. But this Ministry won’t last to see the Hafeez Contractor creation, so patchwork measures are afoot.

‘‘We will require at least 12 chambers in the Mantralaya to provide office accommodation to the new Cabinet members,’’ a senior official of General Administration Department said. ‘‘Since there is no additional space, we have drafted a plan to shift at least four departments to the seventh floor.’’

More shocking, say officials, is GAD’s decision to tear down the insides and recreate two conference halls on the second floor of the Mantralaya. That will make new offices for two of the dozen newly inducted Cabinet members.

When Nitin Gadkari was the Public Works Minister in the erstwhile Sena-BJP government, he had reduced the area of some of chambers on the second floor and created two conference halls at an estimated Rs 72 lakh. Though GAD is determined to acquire state-of-the-art conference halls, Irrigation Minister Padamsinh Patil strongly opposes the proposal. He says the halls were specially designed for the Irrigation and Public Works Department for official meetings.

‘‘We have submitted the comprehensive proposal to CM Sushilkumar Shinde. If he approves it, we will start the work on restructuring of the conference halls,’’ GAD sources said. ‘‘Work on the chambers will start soon since the Finance Department has approved the proposal.’’