Corrupt official’s mansion now orphanage
Kunwar is fourth senior official whose bungalow was confiscated by the state government
The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has opened an orphanage in the confiscated bungalow of senior government official Raghuvansh Kunwar who is accused of corruption.
A case was registered against Kunwar, a motor vehicle inspector (MVI), after he was caught in the act of taking a bribe of Rs50,000 (Dh2,752) in September 2008.
On Wednesday, the social welfare minister Manju Verma inaugurated the orphanage in the confiscated bungalow which is located in Kankarbagh locality of the state capital. Right now, 30 orphans have been lodged there.
“The orphanage will provide shelter to 50 orphans. The government will be providing education and also imparting training in skill development to the children during their stay there,” the minister told the media.
The bungalow was confiscated last year after the accused officer charged with amassing huge amounts of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income lost his case in the Patna High Court. After completing all legal formalities, the bungalow was finally converted into an orphanage on Wednesday.
Kunwar is the fourth senior government official whose bungalow was confiscated by the state government after corruption charges against him came to light.
In September 2011, the state government had opened a primary school for unprivileged children in the seized bungalow of a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shiva Shankar Verma who worked as secretary in the minor irrigation department.
Special needs school
The next month, the threestoreyed building of another official Girish Kumar, an assistant in the office of Patna District Magistrate, was confiscated and converted into a plus-two residential girls school.
The bungalow of another official Narayan Mishra who served as director-general of police, Bihar, was confiscated in August 2012 and converted into a school for children with special needs.