Mumbai: The severe space crunch in Mantralaya has forced the state government to ask a committee headed by a retired high court judge to vacate its office space, which will be relocated to a rented space elsewhere.
The committee, headed by retd Justice Sandip Shinde, set up to expedite the process of granting reservations to the Maratha community and was allotted an office on the seventh floor in the Mantralaya annex building by the Eknath Shinde-led government. The committee was asked to suggest a methodology for issuing OBC certificates to Maratha community members.
The committee office has now been allotted to two members of the state cabinet – Ministers of State Meghna Sakore Bordikar and Indraneel Naik. Both the ministers of state in an earlier order were accommodated in temporary office spaces at Vidhan Bhavan.
The government has asked the General Administration Department (GAD) to find suitable office space in a private building which will be taken on rent.
In another development, the state government has taken over the mezzanine floor chamber of Seema Vyas, who is secretary in GAD. Her chamber will become part of the office of Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane. A part of her office is being given to expand the chamber of Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore. A new chamber will be erected for Seema Vyas on the fourth floor by dismantling the waiting hall.
Similarly, the offices of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs located on the second floor have been allocated to Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar. The tourism department offices will now be shifted to the 3rd-floor waiting hall which will be dismantled and a new office will be erected.
