The Chief Minister’s bungalow which gained notoriety for its “bad vibes” and “supernatural activities” was officially converted into State Guest House on Friday with its inaugural ceremony held amid prayers from religious leaders to remove the bad omen attached with the bungalow.

The sprawling official Chief Minister’s Bungalow has been making headlines for some time now after gaining the tag of being ‘haunted’ soon after former CM Kalikho Pul allegedly committed suicide on November 9 last. Giving this argument more fuel, barely two months later, the caretaker of the bungalow was also found hanging from the ceiling fan of an adjoining room there.

Just for sake of argument—two chief ministers, Dorjee Khandu and Jarbom Gamlin, who had lived there, met with untimely deaths.

Ever since the death of Pul, the official bungalow was written-off as one which would house another CM at least in the distant future.  Pema Khandu who succeeded Pul, made it amply clear as he stayed and worked out of his private residence.

So it was understood that the state government might turn the bungalow into an office or something else.  But the decision of the Arunachal Pradesh government to convert it into a state guest house came as a shock because it is a waste of absolutely good infrastructure.

Valued at Rs 59.55 crore, the construction of the state-of-the-art building which was started during 2007-08 was completed in the year 2009-10. The project was executed by the state PWD and its design was prepared by the urban development department and chief architect of the town planning department. The present building was constructed during Dorjee Khandu’s regime after the previous building that was constructed in the early 1980s.

However, going by popular sentiments, it is a given that no present or future CM of Arunachal would be daring enough to reside in the bungalow. Politicians are a different breed altogether, you see. Greatly influenced and guided by astrologers/astrology, the fate of the bungalow was sealed any which way.

But why not turn it into an important office building. This would have ensured that the property is well utilised as opposed to a state guest house which will have far and few occupants if at all; generating nothing for the state exchequer.

Also isn’t it callous for the state to let visitors and guests stay here when it is clearly perceived as ill-fated?