Even after one-and-a-half months of the formation of BJP-led NDA Government in Jharkhand, Cabinet Ministers who had taken oath with Chief Minister Raghubar Das have still not been able to get into their official residences. Building Construction Department is to serve fresh evacuation notices on former Ministers on Monday in order to make it available to others.
“The two Ministers Geetashree Oraon and Rajendra Singh have not vacated their official’s residences who will again be issued notices requesting them on Monday to hand over the quarters within seven days with a warning to that action will be taken against them,” said an official of building construction department requesting anonymity. Despite being allotted the houses to the sitting Ministers Chardra Prakash Chaudhary and louis Marandi, former Ministers Geetashjree Oraon and Rajendra Singh are yet to vacate the houses currently occupied by them, even though notices were issued to them earlier in this regard.
According to the official, despite notices served to them earlier by the department the houses have not been vacated. “Two of the Ministers CP Singh and Neel Kanth Singh Munda on the other hand, have taken possession to their official residences,” said the official. He however, said that the process of evacuation drive could be carried out only after Cabinet expansion. Former Power Minister Rajendra Singh, when contacted by The Pioneer, promised that he will vacate the house before March 1. “I have taken time from Welfare Minister louis Marandiji and have said that I will hand over the house in this month only,” said Singh.
Marandi on the other hand, said that she had to face a lot of problem to carry out her day to day work due to non availability of official residence. “I am trying it on the departmental level to get an official residence as soon as possible as, being a resident Dumka, I have no other place to live here in Ranchi,” said Marandi. I also talked to Rajendra Ji but despite his repeated assurances, the house has not been vacated so far, she added.
Similarly, Chandra Prakash Chuaudhary has also contacted Geetashree Oraon for the purpose, who has assured that she will hand it over to him soon without giving a time frame. According to the notices issued to the former ministers occupying the residences, they were to vacate the house till January 15 but even after a month of the notice period, it has not yet been vacated.