The cost of austerity

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh was apparently "unaware" that the bungalow designed for him in the upcoming capital Naya Raipur was to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore. When a local newspaper flashed the story, officials in his office swung into action. First, they asked who had leaked the story. Then they persuaded the chief minister to turn down the bungalow. None of this mollified the Opposition. It asked how a chief minister could have been unaware of the cost of a bungalow that was being built specifically for him and commented that if this were really the case then it verified the perception that the bureaucracy ruled Chhattisgarh.