Raj Bhavan rebuts room request reports

SHILLONG, Dec 13: The Raj Bhavan, Meghalaya today rubbished media reports that Governor Satya Pal Malik had requisitioned five rooms, permanently, at the Meghalaya House in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi.
In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said the only request made was for the dormitory and another room opposite to which the Governor usually stays when he is in the national capital.
“This was requested specifically for the reason that Satya Pal Malik is a Z+ protectee and has a very high security risk on account of his extremely tough decisions taken in national interest in Jammu and Kashmir where also he was Governor,” the statement said.
It further stated that Malik has had a political career spanning over 40 years and he is required to meet numerous people during his visit to New Delhi. Given security reasons, the isolation of the floor of his stay was considered critical, it said.
“It was from this extremely high security risk perspective that it was requested by Raj Bhavan if the dormitory opposite room of Governor and rooms on the floor could be booked for Hon’ble Governor from security and sanitization perspective,” the statement said.
It further said that as Malik is an elderly person and at a higher risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government was requested that the floor of the new Meghalaya House may be reserved for the twin purposes. “It was, however, suggested in fact from the state government itself that in lieu of the above dormitory, requisite rooms could be booked for the purpose of Hon’ble Governor and his family’s stay,” the statement said.
On the issue of the luxury car, the Raj Bhavan said the vehicle was bought by the state’s General Administration Department and it was an asset of the Meghalaya House.
“It may not be out of place that several other state houses also have same or similar vehicles,” the statement added.