Squatters continue to keep allottees (newly elected Members of Parliament) away from houses on lame excuses in Lutyens’ Delhi. Despite repeated reminders, as many as 50 former MPs have not vacated their Government accommodations even five months after the dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha.
In some cases, the caretakers/servants have gone missing with the keys to the bungalows or flats. In one case, a senior bureaucrat has been found residing in an MP bungalow, while in another case, a former MP is residing in an MP’s flat as a guest.
In yet another case, a newly-elected MP has sought the allotment of the bungalow that earlier housed his spouse, who failed to retain her seat.
Sources in the Ministry said over four dozen newly elected MPs have been waiting for official accommodations and staying at temporary houses. “Notices have been sent to these former MPs, asking them to vacate their bungalows which had been allotted to them in 2014.
The list of MPs who have not vacated their bungalows and flats include Pappu Yadav, Ranjeeta Ranjan, Depender Singh Hooda, HD Deve Gowda and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conard K Sangma. Former BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussain is also residing at Pant Marg bungalow. Shahnawaz had lost Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and he was not given ticket in 2019.
The interesting case is that of BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who was allotted flat no 16-18 at South Avenue. The said flat was occupied by Asaraful Haque, an MP from Bihar, who died last year. After his death, the caretaker/servant of the flat refused to vacate it citing emotional attachment. “Whenever the estate department team visited the flat, it was found locked and the servant gone missing with the key. A showcause notice was issued on September 6. After that, showcause notice was duly affixed at the outer door on September 17. Finally the officials managed to vacate the flat from the servant. Now it is being handed over to Namgyal,” said the sources.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had asked the Lok Sabha Housing Committee to allocate residential accommodation to Namgyal. Namgyal came into limelight during his speech in the Lok Sabha on the abrogation of Article 370.
Sources said that it was also found that a senior bureaucrat is residing at bungalow number 23 in South Avenue. The bungalow was allotted to MI Shahnawaz, who died last year.
Sources said former MP Kameshwar Singh was found residing at South Avenue bungalow no 77. The said accommodation was allotted to an MP in 2014 who allowed Singh to stay as a guest. Now Singh wants to stay in this bungalow citing his poor health. Singh had won the LS polls in 1967.
In another case, Conard K Sangma, who is now the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, is seeking to retain a type VIII bungalow under the State Government quota, allotted to his father late PA Sangma.
After PA Sangma’s death, the Ministry had been asking him to vacate the bungalow since 2016.
In another case, one of the MPs has asked the Ministry to allot her Pandara Road accommodation to his husband who is also an MP.
According to rules, former MPs have to vacate their respective bungalows within one month of dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha. President Ram Nath Kovind had on May 25 dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha with immediate effect on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet after the Modi Government was formed for a second term.
On August 19, the Lok Sabha Housing Committee headed by CR Patil had ordered around 200 ex-MPs, who did not vacate their bungalows, to give up the facility within a week and disconnected their power, water and cooking gas connections within three days.
Since the committee’s order, most of the ex-MPs have vacated their official bungalows. But, 50 former MPs are, however, yet to vacate their bungalows.
