Order to evict Lalu's family from official residence
by Ajay Kumar

    Patna: The Nitish Kumar-led coalition government in Bihar has ordered the District Magistrate of Patna, B.Rajendra and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Kundan Krishnan, to forcibly evict Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and their family from the 1 Anne Marg, the official bungalow of Chief Minister of Bihar. "A competent authority of the department has written to the District Magistrate B Rajendra and Senior Police Superintendent Kundan Krishnan to get the house forcibly evicted without any delay", Bihar's Building Construction Minister Monazir Hasan told reporters today. Stating that no time-frame had been specified in the letter to the district authorities to execute the "foricible eviction notice" served on Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi on December 13, Hasan said, "the rules will be followed. "I will not interfere in the matter", Hasan said when his attention was drawn to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's statement that they would be vacating the house soon. "They had earlier desired to stay put at 1 Anne Marg till Kharmas, the period considered inaspicious, and now they are saying they will be consulting astrologers for selecting an auspicious date for shifting," he said. "We have maintained a lot of patience. The regime has changed and now there is a new Chief Minister. They should have cooperated with the building department officials who are trying to discharge the legal obligations of getting the house vacated to help the new CM move in," he said.

   The controversy over the change of occupants of the official residence has been on since November 24, 2005 when Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the 33rd Chief Minister of Bihar. The NDA government in Bihar has allotted 10 Circular Road Bungalow to Rabri Devi, now the leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly. The bungalow was earlier home to her brother and RJD MP Sadhu Yadav, an MP. Rabri Devi has already been served notice twice by the state building construction department.The problem of finding a new abode for animals kept by them is being cited as one of the reasons for the former first couple of Bihar buying time in vacating the Anne Marg bungalow. The couple had as pets hundreds of cows, buffaloes, horses and even cats. In December, the former chief minister had refused to occupy the house allotted by the new government, saying it needs to be renovated.

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