The Hindu : National : 246 VVIPs evicted, Centre tells court

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Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006

National

National

246 VVIPs evicted, Centre tells court

Legal Correspondent

`The list of unauthorised occupants is now reduced to 224'

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that of the 497 VVIPs occupying government accommodation unauthorisedly, 246 had been evicted/vacated after the court strongly indicted them for overstaying in the allotted houses.

Expressing its displeasure on the state of affairs, a Bench of Justice B.N. Agarwal and Justice A.K. Mathur had in the last two hearings asked the Centre to see that all the 497 VVIPs vacated their houses without the need for the court to pass orders for their eviction.

On Tuesday the Centre filed a fresh affidavit stating that 246 occupants had been removed and 27 regularised. "The list of unauthorised occupants is now reduced to 224 and of them 76 cases are pending before the High Court and application for expeditious disposal of these cases have been filed. The remaining 148 cases are pending before the Estate Officer at various stages and are likely to culminate within a period of two months."

Apply it to legislators too

Referring to this the Bench told the Additional Solicitor General, Amarendra Sharen, "when Supreme Court Judges retire they have to vacate their bungalows immediately. Why can't the same principle be applied to legislators also? You have the power to throw them out." The ASJ sought two months time to ensure that all the unauthorised occupants were evicted.

The affidavit further said that 36 were in occupation of houses above their entitlement and five of them had been granted revised allotments. The occupation of the remaining 29 Members of Parliament in General Pool bungalows was not in conformity with the established norms.

It said that no action regarding cancellation/eviction in respect of these 29 MPs could be initiated, as they had not been provided alterative accommodation. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were responsible for providing accommodation to these MPs and both the Secretary Generals had been asked to provide accommodation immediately to their Members from the surplus residential units available with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha house committees.

The Bench took on record this affidavit and granted two months time to the Centre to intimate the further progress in the matter and adjourned the hearing till then.

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