The circuit house under construction at Morabadi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, June 8: District officials will no longer find it difficult to get a place to stay in Ranchi as the state government has begun construction of a circuit house.

All government guest houses, including the circuit house, were converted into ministers? or VVIP bungalows soon after Jharkhand was created.

The new circuit house, adjacent to the old one on Circular Road, has eight rooms, but as many as five are permanently occupied by heavyweight officials.

This results in officials either coming to Ranchi only for the day and returning on the same evening or putting up at hotels on their personal expenses.

However, the problem will soon be over with the building construction department working on constructing a 23-room circuit house close to the state guest house turned official residence of former chief minister Babulal Marandi at Morabadi.

Admitting absence of government guest houses in Ranchi posed great difficulties in housing visitors especially officials from the districts, building construction secretary D.K. Tiwari said they hoped to inaugurate the new circuit house by the first week of October.

?The problem will be sorted out to an extent by the new circuit house, but we are also trying to make a 30-room hostel to house junior officials who often have to come to Ranchi and stay here,? Tiwari said.

?We are looking for land to build the hostel. The construction will take 15-18 months after we get the land, which is a major problem in Ranchi,? he added.

But till the new circuit house gets ready, the problem continues.

?Since the circuit house rooms are always occupied, we are told that there is no vacancy every time we try to book a room there,? said a deputy commissioner of a district.

The deputy commissioner said officials of districts close to Ranchi can return the same evening, but what about those who come from far off Dumka, Sahebganj, Jamtara and Godda?

A senior official from Dumka said he has to hunt for friends and relatives every time he gets a call to attend a meeting in Ranchi or a summons for personal appearance from the high court.

Almost all departments had guest houses in Ranchi ? Forest, irrigation, PWD, drinking water ? but all have turned into minister?s bungalows.