MUMBAI, July 14 -- Deputy mayor of Mumbai Sanjay Ghadi has sought official accommodation from the BMC, even identifying the residence he prefers. His request, which would require the BMC to break with civic convention, was made in a letter to municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide on June 25, just two days after the bungalow he wants was vacated by additional municipal commissioner (city) Ashwini Joshi, who has been transferred. The sprawling, colonial-style bungalow Ghadi is seeking is adjacent to the one occupied by mayor Ritu Tawade in the leafy Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan premises in Byculla. Ghadi believes he is entitled to official accommodation "at par with the stature of his office". "The deputy mayor's work is no less important. If the mayor and the municipal commissioner are provided official residences because of the nature of their responsibilities, why not the deputy mayor," he told HT. In his letter, however, Ghadi cited convenience and punctuality as reasons. He said travelling daily to the BMC headquarters from Dahisar East, where he resides, is time-consuming. Coupled with Mumbai's traffic congestion, it causes "mental and physical strain". The letter adds, "Since the residence is close to the headquarters, it would enable me to serve citizens more efficiently and attend meetings and administrative programmes on time." Ghadi has gone a step further, even suggesting that the senior official who has succeeded Joshi could be reassigned official accommodation. "There are several other official residences lying vacant. They can also be utilised," he told HT. Asked whether he should be pressing for better roads and transport infrastructure, rather than seeking accommodation closer to his place of work, the deputy mayor said the issues were mutually exclusive. "I have consistently raised issues relating to roads and infrastructure and believe they should be improved. But this demand is not merely for myself; it is for the institution of the deputy mayor," he claims. Ghadi's request has found support from his colleagues in the ruling BJP in the civic house, alliance partner of the Shiv Sena, to which he belongs. Leader of the house, Ganesh Khankar (BJP) said, "Since Sanjay Ghadi has made this demand as the deputy mayor, we are supporting it." However, senior BMC officials say the request is a departure from civic practice. "There is no precedent of providing an official residence to the deputy mayor," a senior civic official....