Finally, SRA chief agrees to vacate Byculla bungalow

Mumbai: Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO Aseem Gupta has agreed to vacate the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bungalow he occupies in Byculla. Gupta will move out of the sprawling heritage building by the end of this month.

“I have already told the BMC that I will move out by October 1. They are okay with that and I do not want any further extension. This was conveyed to them. The SRA has only recently allotted me a flat and I will move there,” Gupta told dna.

dna had, on Monday, reported how Gupta, an IAS officer of the 1994 batch, faced eviction from the 6,000 sq ft bungalow inside the Byculla zoo.

Gupta and his family had moved in to this bungalow in 2010. As additional municipal commissioner of the BMC, he was entitled to stay there. However, he continued to stay there even after his transfer to Thane as Municipal Commissioner in July 2013 and later as CEO of the SRA in January this year.

The BMC asked Gupta to pay a monthly rent of Rs 1 lakh from November 2013, but he hasn’t paid anything yet. 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.

“I requested the BMC to charge me a nominal rent since the SRA did not have any designated accommodation for me. I was sanctioned accommodation through the SRA only in August this year. I wasn’t told about the rent till recently. Once the BMC sends a demand letter, I will pay whatever rent they charge me,” Gupta said.

Gupta had initially sought an extension to stay in the bungalow till March 2014 as his daughter was in the 10th standard. He argued that he should be given an extension so that that his daughter’s studies are not affected.

The BMC replied he can do so, provided he paid rent. However, the BMC went silent on the issue for a year and Gupta continued to live in the bungalow. In February 2015, the civic body again reminded Gupta about the rent and gave him a three-month notice. BMC officials said Gupta had sought another extension, but civic chief Ajoy Mehta was against it.