Minister Aslam Shaikh allotted Darades’ Malabar Hill bungalow

Sea-facing house was allotted to IAS officer Pravin Darade when he was secretary to Fadnavis; despite BMC notices, he refused to vacate it

More than five years after the state government allotted the BMC’s Hydraulic Engineers bungalow at Malabar Hill to IAS officer Pravin Darade, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has given it to City Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh. This means Darade, who has been living in the bungalow since December 2014, will have to move out.

The state’s General Administration Department (GAD) in an order issued on Tuesday asked the BMC to immediately hand over the bungalow to Shaikh, who is minister for textiles, fisheries and ports.

The minister was earlier allotted an official flat in Bell Heaven building at Marine Lines, but he was looking for a bungalow.

“The state government has taken over BMC’s Hydraulic Engineer’s bungalow at Malabar Hill and allotted it to Minister Aslam Shaikh. The minister will have to vacate the bungalow when the BMC wants to repair the reservoir below it. The minister has been allowed to live in the bungalow until he gets an alternative accommodation. Also, Shaikh can occupy the bungalow only till the time he holds the post of a minister,” the GAD order reads.

In December 2014, the state government had issued an order allotting the bungalow to Darade, who is an Indian Administrative Service officer of 1998 batch. He was at that time posted as secretary in the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s office. His wife, Pallavi Darade, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of 1997 batch, was posted in the BMC as an additional commissioner. Parvin Darade was later posted as additional municipal commissioner in the BMC but was shifted out soon after the MVA government came to power in December last year. Darade was transferred out of the city and posted as the social welfare commissioner at Pune.

The BMC, which was looking for a new residence for the Mumbai mayor had issued an eviction notice to the couple in September 2017, saying the allotment, which the state government had secured for them three years ago, was not proper. But it quickly faced resistance from the Darades and the government, which said they should not be asked to leave till Pravin retires or continues to pay rent. He is slated to retire in 2028.

Only municipal employees can be provided accommodation in BMC properties, but the civic body was forced to ignore its own rules after the GAD issued an order to allot the bungalow to Darades.

The BMC had once again asked Darades to vacate the bungalow saying that the British-era bungalow was in a dilapidated condition and the reservoir under it needed urgent repairs.

Minister Aslam Shaikh couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday. Praveen Darade also didn’t respond to calls and text messages on Tuesday. However, in February this year, he had told Mumbai Mirror that he was going to vacate the bungalow in three months.