J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his Council of Ministers are living life ‘king-size’ in the cozy comforts of their official bunglows. Each year they go for complete renovation of their official accommodations at the expense of cash starved State exchequer.
According to a written reply furnished by the Chief Minister in the State Assembly, “a total amount of Rs 20.72 crore was spent on the renovation/repair of accommodation of Council of Ministers in J&K, TA/DA,telephone bills and State aircraft/helicopters during the last two years”. Compared to Congress Ministers in the alliance Government, National Conference Ministers spent more money on the renovation /repair work of their houses in both Jammu and Srinagar.
An amount of Rs 2.04 crore alone was spent on renovating two bunglows of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand in twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar and on their TA/DA and telephone bills during the same period. The Council of Ministers belonging to the National Conference spent Rs 2.92 crores on the renovation of their houses in Srinagar and Rs 1.16 crores in Jammu while Ministers belonging to the Congress spent Rs 1.10 crore in Srinagar and Rs 93.39 lakhs in Jammu.
In addition to this, an amount Rs 48.4 lakh was also spent during the last two years on renovating and providing furniture/fixture at J&K Bank Guest House, Zeethyar allotted in the name of Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The report tabled in the State Assembly also revealed, “an expenditure to the tune of Rs 3.87 crore was incurred on State aircraft/helicopters in 2013-14 up to January 2014 while Rs 5.64 crores were spent under the same head in 2012-13 by the State Government”.
Ironically, to check wasteful spending the State Government had notified austerity measures on December 7, 2009 but it appears the same were violated while spending lavishly on these repair/renovation works. According to the details furnished on the floor of the Assembly in response to unstarred question of Zulifar Ali, in the last two years Omar spent around Rs 5.32 lakhs on his telephone bills averaging Rs 740 per day.
Compared to initial years in office, Omar has been talking much less on telephone these days. According to official sources, “In his first year in office Omar had spent more than Rs 1,060 per day on his telephone bills incurring a total expenditure of Rs 3.87 lakhs in year 2009”. Omar’s deputy, Tara Chand of the Congress spent around Rs 4.04 lakhs on his telephone bills, Rs 60 lakhs on renovation/furniture TA/DA bills during the last two years.
According to the details a total sum of Rs 6.32 crore was spent on renovation of official residences of Council of Ministers in 2012-13 while Rs 4.89 crores were spent on similar works in 2011-12 by the State Government. State Finance Minister AR Rather incurred a total expenditure of Rs 6.53 lakhs on TA/DA and phone bills and Rs 10.17 lakhs on renovating official accommodation during the same period. The State Government spent Rs 15.39 lakh in 2012-13 and Rs 11 .65 lakhs in 2011-12 on renovating Srinagar based residence of NC Minister Sakina Itoo, similarly a sum of Rs 24.26 lakhs was spent on the residence of Mohammed Akbar lone in 2012-13 and Rs 13.89 in 2011-12 in Srinagar.
According to the State Government reply, a sum of Rs 15.97 lakh was spent on renovating Srinagar-based accommodation of Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni in 2012-13 and Rs 6.57 lakhs in 2011-12. The Government spent Rs 15.74 lakhs on the renovation work in the residence of ex-Minister SS Slathia and Rs 9.78 lakhs on the residence of RS Chib during the last two years. An amount of Rs 20.23 lakhs was spent on the renovation of accommodation of Peerzada Mohammed Sayeed. Rs 7.12 lakhs and Rs 7.34 lakhs were spent on the renovation of Sham lal Sharma’s house in Srinagar.
In Jammu Rs 23.20 lakhs were spent on the repair/renovation of house of Qamar Ali Akhoon during the last two years, Rs 17.93 lakhs on the house of Peerzada Mohammed Sayeed. Raman Bhalla’s accommodation in Srinagar was renovated at the cost of Rs 13.13 lakhs in the last two years.