Barricades on the road in front kept out the curious crowds who went to look at the building on Wednesday after reading reports that Mayawati had bought it.
The property is in Lucknow’s high-security zone, close to the BSP headquarters and Mayawati’s 13 Mall Avenue residence, allotted to her as former chief minister. Nobody is allowed entry into the building. A man at the massive brass entrance gate notes down details of every labourer who moves in or out. Most of the construction is over; a supervisor said the finishing will take three months.
Mayawati bought the 71,000-square foot property on November 3, 2010. The affidavit filed with her Rajya Sabha nomination yesterday said its current market value is Rs 15.68 crore.
Sources in the estate department said the property originally belonged to army officer G C Mishra, from whom it had been rented for Rs 360 per month many years ago. Former PM V P Singh stayed in it, and it later became the official residence of the assembly speaker. Speaker Mata Parsad Pandey stayed in it from July 2004 to May 2007, when Maya became CM.
Navneet Sehgal, secretary in the estate department, said, “It was a private property. The estate department had taken it on lease for a few years. I have no idea when it was sold.”