Wednesday, July 30, 2014

‘36 ex-ministers illegal occupants of govt bungalows’

Himanshi Dhawan | TNN 


New Delhi: Political leaders of different ideologies and hues whether S M Krishna, L K Advani, Sharad Yadav, Pawan Kumar Bansal or Dayanidhi Maran have one thing in common. They are all unauthorized occupants of ministerial bungalows, according to the urban development ministry. The data given by the ministry under the RTI shows that there are 36 former Union ministers who continue to squat on ministerial accommodation even after relinquishing office. 
    The information was given in response to an RTI filed by activist S C Agrawal. 

    Among those who have been listed as unauthorized occupants include Congress leaders like Mukul Wasnik, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken, Subodh Kant Sahay, Saifuddin Soz, C P Joshi, Pawan Bansal, S M Krishna. BJP leaders including Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Ravi Shanakr Prasad, DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran, M K Alagiri and T R Baalu, RJD’s Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Trinamool Congress’s Saugata Ray and C M Jatua. 
    Agrawal had sought information on which MPs contin
ued to occupy ministerial accommodation despite resign -ing from their position. In its response UD ministry’s directorate of estates said that the “primary responsibility for allotment of accommodation to the members of Parliament rests with the respective House committee (Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha secretariat) concerned. As per the existing guidelines the former union ministers who continue to be sitting members of Parliament are allowed retention of their ministerial accommodation till they are allotted their entitled category of accommodation from the respective LS/RS House committee concerned.’’ 
    The department added that they had already asked both secretariats to allot ac
commodation according to their entitlement. Among the officials who have been put on the unauthorized list by the UD ministry include former NSA Vijaya Latha Reddy, BSF director-general U K Bansal and UPSC former member Prof Purushottam Agarwal.

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