In their love and fascination for bungalows or flats in the Lutyens’ Delhi, Parliamentarians have resorted to ingenious ways to occupy the Government accommodations.
One such ploy has been to get the bungalow or flat booked in the name of guests on one or the other pretext. The guest then either overstays the period permitted or the MP keeps the premises under control even after the guest leaves.
“Nearly 45 members of Parliament (MPs) have been found to have squatters in the garb of guests. A list of such MPs has been prepared,” said sources. The list includes past and present MPs of all major political parties.
Majority of the Government bungalows where the former MPs and their guests are staying are located in the posh locality of Lutyens’ Delhi. As per norms, accommodation for guests of MPs is provided in VP House and Western Court hostel for a short duration. The accommodation can be allotted in North and South Avenues and Meena Bagh under very exceptional circumstances.
There have been other glaring cases of “squatter” being former MPs. Take the case of former MP Shahnawaz Hussain, who has been unauthorisedly staying at the Pant Marg bungalow since 2014. The said bungalow was allotted when he was Minister in the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government and he has somehow managed to retain it till date. Interestingly, Shahnawaz had lost the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and was denied poll ticket in 2019.
Another case is of then BJP MP OP Yadav who was allotted the Pant Marg bungalow in 2014. Yadav, himself was staying in MPs flat at South Avenue. Yadav was also denied ticket by the BJP in 2019.
Former MP Kameshwar Singh was occupying a flat at South Avenue which is allotted to BJP MP Ran Vijay Singh Judev. Last week, the Estate Department forcefully vacated Singh, who had contested Lok Sabha polls in 1967 only once.
Officials said most of the requests for guest accommodations come during Parliament session. Normally as per norms MPs are allotted accommodation for their guests on payment of rent in advance for treatment or any other specific purpose where mess is compulsory and other facilities are also available. This can be extended in specific cases.
As many as 40 former MPs have not vacated their Government accommodations so far. According to the rules, former MPs are supposed to vacate the Government residences within one month of the dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha.
The amended Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act law empowers the Government to issue show cause notice, seeking reply of unauthorised occupants within three days, the duration reduced from 15 days, as mandated under the previous law. Three MPs have been evicted forcefully last week and notices have been sent to three others for forcefully eviction.
On August 19, the Lok Sabha Housing Committee headed by C R 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. The Government provides residential accommodation to its employees including the Members of Parliament and other dignitaries on a license basis while they are in service or till the term of their office. However, it is often seen that the unauthorised occupants do not vacate the Government accommodation on expiry of the terms and conditions of the license as per the rules and uses dilatory tactics to withhold the accommodation.