Use Adarsh building to house fire-hit Govt offices: BJP

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP on Friday suggested that scam-tainted Adarsh housing society in south Mumbai should be temporarily used to house offices of Government departments damaged by last month's fire at state secretariat.

"The Government can file an application in the court seeking permission to use Adarsh society to house Government offices for the time being," State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said.

The top four floors of the seven-storeyed building housing Mantralaya (secretariat) were gutted in a devastating blaze on June 21. Following this, the Government has shifted a number of Government offices, including Home department, to to the World Trade Centre (WTC) in south Mumbai.

The Government will be spending a whopping Rs 9 crore as rent for the office space at the WTC, Bhandari said. Also, it will be difficult for common citizens to enter WTC, a hub of business and corporate activities, given the entry restrictions put in place there, the BJP leader maintained.