Krishna, Shashi take note: How nine of your colleagues live

While External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his deputy Shashi Tharoor turned 5-star hotel suites into temporary homes, their nine colleagues, still waiting for official accommodation, settled for single rooms in state Bhawans and PSU guest houses in New Delhi.

1. Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas, one of the nine, moved to his official residence at 17, Balwant Rai Mehta Lane this morning. Work at his new house is still not over — "at least 20 per cent of work is still remaining but then that's how the CPWD works."

"I was staying at Kerala House. It is in such a dilapidated state. First, I had viral fever and then I was down with meningitis. So I shifted to a guest house of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research where I had a one-room accommodation," Thomas said.

2. MoS Home Mullappally Ramachandran, also from Kerala, is still in Kerala House. An official in his team said he was "ready to shift to the allotted residence at Sunehri Bagh... renovation work is still on."

3. Vilasrao Deshmukh, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and now Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, is still at a BHEL guest house in Asiad Village. The Rajya Sabha House Allotment Committee allotted him 14, Akbar Road but it is still occupied by former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.

"Aiyar had sought an extension from the committee and Deshmukh agreed to let him stay on. The deadline for Aiyar's stay ended on September 7. We have still not heard anything about him leaving," said a Deshmukh aide.

4. Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister for Labour and Employment with nine Assembly victories and a Lok Sabha seat, lives in one room in Karnataka Bhawan.

5. D Napoleon, MoS Social Justice and Empowerment, and S Gandhiselvam, MoS Health and Family Welfare, have been camping at Tamil Nadu Bhawan, waiting for houses to be renovated.

6. C P Joshi, Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, is in Room 102 of the Rajasthan Bhawan.

7. Mahadev Khandela, MoS Road Transport and Highways, is also at Rajasthan Bhawan. "I have been allotted a house at Lodhi Estate. Since it is the inauspicious Shraddh period, I thought I will shift later. In any case, work is still on there."

8. MoS Pradeep Jain, allotted 78, Lodhi Estate, is in Room 214 of the Uttar Pradesh Bhawan. "I will shift during Navratri. The CPWD has not yet finished work."

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