The IAS officer of the 1994 batch Aseem Gupta now faces eviction from the sprawling 6,000 sq ft bungalow inside the Byculla zoo, which he is so fond of.
Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO Aseem Gupta's love for a spacious, lavish bungalow in Byculla has landed him in trouble.
The IAS officer of the 1994 batch now faces eviction from the sprawling 6,000 sq ft bungalow inside the Byculla zoo, which he is so fond of. Gupta and his family had moved in to this bungalow in 2010. As additional municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), he was entitled to stay there.
In July 2013, Gupta was transferred to Thane as Municipal Commissioner. He was bound to vacate the bungalow within three months. But instead of shifting from the listed heritage structure, Gupta sought an extension to stay in the bungalow till March 2014 as his daughter was in the tenth standard. He argued that he should be given an extension so that that his daughter's studies are not affected. The BMC replied that he can do so, provided he paid rent. "We calculated the rent at Rs 1 lakh a month from November 2013. However, he refused to pay up," a BMC official said.
According to market estimates, the rent for a bungalow that size in Byculla would easily be over Rs 5 lakh a month. By BMC calculations, Gupta owes the corporation a total of Rs 20 lakh. Then, for almost a year, the BMC went silent on the issue and Gupta continued to live in the bungalow. In February 2015, the civic body suddenly woke up. It reminded Gupta about the rent. His reply this time was he was paying all electricity and water bills.
"After this reply, we sent him a notice, giving him three months' time to vacate. The three-month period ended in May 2015. Gupta then said that the SRA should pay for him since the agency hasn't allotted him another residence," a BMC official pointed out. Officials say Gupta has sought yet another extension to stay in the bungalow, but BMC chief Ajoy Mehta is against it. "We have decided not to give him any extension. The bungalow will have to be vacated," Mehta told dna.
Officials said that the BMC would write to Gupta and ask him to vacate immediately. Gupta did not respond to calls and text messages.
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