Wanted — A room and a chair for the minister

NEW DELHI, MAY 30: Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, who was made Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs last week, was all set to occupy hi...

NEW DELHI, MAY 30: Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, who was made Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs last week, was all set to occupy his office at 11 am on Monday. The media was there to cover the event with flashlights and cameras. But minutes before the minister’s arrival, the ceremony was called off.

Ministry officials are learnt to have told Hussain not to occupy the office since his senior colleague, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Sukhdeo Singh Dhindsa, was keen to function from here.

Dhindsa who has been given additional charge of Department of Mines, refused to occupy the office designated for him in the Department of Mines, triggering off a chain hunt for office accommodation.

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Dhindsa is, it is learnt, insisting on occupying the room vacated by Minister of State for Sports Choaba Singh who has been made Minister of State for Food Processing.

This leaves Hussain without an office. He has been functioning from his Shahjahan Road residence for the past two days. With the Prime Minister holidaying in Manali and Dhindsa on a foreign trip, the struggle for office space is likely to continue.

Hussain is not the only minister who does not have office accommodation. Jaisinh Rao Gaekwad Patil, the MoS in Human Resource Development Department who has been moved to the Department of Mines as Dhindsa’s deputy, too is virtually on the road as new office premises has been earmarked for Dhindsa.

With the Minister for Health Dr C P Thakur occupying the only ministerial office available in the Health Ministry, his deputy Rita Varma who has been moved from the Ministry of Mines, has been left without an office.

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The problem would not have arisen had Dhindsa settled for his office in the Ministry of Mines.

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