New Delhi: Civil society outrage has forced the President of India to abandon her plans of building a post-retirement bungalow, which was being constructed after demolishing two heritage colonial bungalows in a designated army area in Pune, in central India. A presidential spokesperson has said that Pratibha Patil, India's first woman president had decided to “forego” her post retirement plans after she was “pained at fabricated observation” in the media. “The President was very much pained at fabricated observation in the media that this land was being transferred to her. She has decided to forego her post retirement home in Pune. The President has not decided where she will go for her post retirement home,” Presidential spokesperson Archana Dutta said. Activists, which includes a retired soldiers society called “Justice for jawans” headed by a retired army lieutenant colonel Suresh Patil had claimed that President, who when in office is the commander in chief of India's defense forces, was encroaching on army owned land, which she was not entitled to after retirement. “The President's bungalow is being built on 260,000 sq ft in Pune but the President is eligible for only 4,500 sq feet on retirement,” activists had maintained. A formal statement issued by the President's House said: “The President chose not to react as she has always held herself answerable to the Constitution and her conscience. If as Governor she had pursued the matters of war widows with such passion and concern, would she ever think of dislocating war widows or occupy a property allegedly meant for any such purpose as her post retirement home?” Patil, who exposed the encroachment by the President has hailed the media for lending shoulder to his campaign. “I would like to congratulate the fourth pillar of democracy, that is the media. It is the media which gave support to the great cause of ours. We have been fighting it out for the last one year,” Patil said.
