The present bungalows of the state election commission and (below) minister Giriraj Singh. Pictures by Ashok Sinha

Patna, April 22: Senior bureaucrats of Bihar would have to take time out from their busy schedule to shift from one house to another as the building construction department has earmarked some of the bungalows, in which these bureaucrats are living at present, as the official residence of the state ministers.

A source said the department has carried out the exercise after chief minister Nitish Kumar recently issued directives to identify bungalows that would be earmarked as official residence of ministers. Nitish has also directed that it should be ensured that the ministers’ official residence are not located far from the area where the chief minister’s house and the main secretariat is, added the source.

“The building construction department has to identify 36 bungalows, which would be earmarked for ministers. While some of the existing bungalows, in which the ministers are living right now fit the bill, the department needs to identify around 10 more bungalows to meet the norms suggested by the chief minister,” said the source. At present, most of these bungalows have been allotted to senior IAS officials and they would have to vacate them to accommodate the ministers, added the source.

The move would be music to the ears of those ministers who have not been allotted bungalows after the formation of the NDA-II government, till date. Prominent among them are water resources minister Vijay Choudhary, revenue and land reforms minister Ramai Ram, social welfare minister Parveen Amanullah, rural works minister Bhim Singh and cooperatives minister Ramadhar Singh.

The bungalow earlier given to the state election commission is likely to be allotted to water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary.

Three ministers would, however, have to change their bungalows. Animal and fish resources minister Giriraj Singh, who is at present, residing in a bungalow on Circular Road would have to move to another bungalow on the same road. His present bungalow has been earmarked for the chairman of the state legislative council.

“We are still in the process of giving final touches to the list,” the building construction department secretary Sudhir Kumar, said, adding that once the process is completed, notices would be served to the people concerned who have to vacate bungalows that would be kept in the pool.