I’m yet to be given a house, so I have to travel: Revanna

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BENGALURU: Public works minister HD Revanna , the elder brother of CM HD Kumaraswamy , travels between Bengaluru and Holenarasipura, his assembly constituency in Hassan — a round trip of 350km — almost every day. Reason: he is yet to get official accommodation in the city.So, why isn’t he staying at his own house in Banashankari 2nd Stage or any of the houses owned by his family in and around Padmanabhanagar in Bengaluru? Or take up a house in the city? The grapevine suggests Revanna has been advised by an astrologer against “sleeping” in his own house in Bengaluru as long as he is a minister. Revanna has an unshakable belief in astrology; he is one neta whose action and decision is guided by auspicious time and days.“I am yet to be given a house in the city, so I have to travel as I have been elected from Holenarasipura,” Revanna said.“The astrologer has told Revanna that night-stay at his own residence will bring him bad luck,” said a source close to the minister. “The advice was based on the exact time he took oath as minister in the Kumaraswamy government. Revanna is steadfastly following the advice.”The astrologer has also suggested that the minister move to a bungalow allotted by the government. But there is a hitch here too: Revanna’s preferred bungalow in Kumara Park West is not vacant. The supposedly lucky bungalow is currently occupied by former public works minister H C Mahadevappa, who has three months’ time to vacate. Mahadevappa has been residing in the bungalow since 2013 and peers believe that the house helped him become a powerful minister. “Revanna is particular about the bungalow and will wait till Mahadevappa vacates,” an official in the department of personnel and administrative reforms (protocol) said.Left with no place to stay, Revanna has chosen to shuttle between Bengaluru and Holenarasipura. He wakes up at 5am every day, performs a pooja and meets people from his constituency before leaving for Bengaluru at 8am. He arrives in Bengaluru by 11.30am and heads back to Hassan around 9pm, reaching around midnight. Of course, he makes the trip in a chauffeur-driven government car and the cost is borne by the government.Sources also added that a traffic-free corridor is created for the minister’s convoy allowing him travel in good time.