No decision yet on new residence for CM, others: Karna govt

Bengaluru: Amid a controversy over reports on a move to build a new official residence for the Chief Minister at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore, Karnataka Government today said no decision has been taken for now on the issue.

“There is a loud thought about constructing not only official residence for the Chief Minister, but also for cabinet ministers, Speaker and legislators. For now, we haven’t decided on the matter, but will be taken up in future,” PWD Minister H C Mahadevappa told PTI here.

Though the matter has been discussed for the past one year, the government has not arrived at any estimated cost to construct the official residences as reported in the media, Mahadevappa said.

“This matter was under discussion for the last one year, but in any of the meetings so far we haven’t arrived at the estimated cost to construct the proposed residences,” he said.

Reports on the matter has created a storm with several local prominent personalities in Bengaluru questioning the rationale for taking up the construction work when the state is reeling under severe drought.

They have also come down heavily on the government for its wrong priorities when the condition of roads in the IT city were bad, and which had claimed a woman’s life recently after meeting with an accident due to a pothole.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at present resides at Cauvery, which is adjacent to the home office Krishna.

The proposal for the construction of a designated residence had come up first during the term of B S Yeddyurappa. But recently, Siddaramaiah had asked the PWD to revisit the matter.