The Hindu : National : "I have no government accommodation in Lucknow"

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Saturday, Jul 08, 2006

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National

"I have no government accommodation in Lucknow"

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Friday denied in the Supreme Court that he had taken a government accommodation in Lucknow.

The denial, through an affidavit, followed a petition filed by Lok Prahari, questioning allotment of bungalows in Uttar Pradesh to former Prime Ministers, former Chief Ministers and other VIPs.

Mr. Vajpayee said he was allotted a house at La-Plaza in Lucknow. However, after demitting office as Prime Minister, whenever he visited Lucknow, for security reasons, he would stay in the VVIP guesthouse (circuit house). Later, on a request from his office, seeking another accommodation that would satisfy security requirements, the State Government seemed to have allotted a house at 10, Mall Road. He, however, did not receive any information on such allotment. Neither had he taken possession of the house.

House vacated

Mr. Vajpayee said he had vacated the La-Plaza house and it had been allotted to someone else. Since he was given accommodation in Delhi, he was not interested in having a government accommodation in Lucknow. He requested the court to delete his name from the list of respondents cited in the petition.

The petitioner had questioned the practice of allotment of bungalows to VIPs in Uttar Pradesh contrary to the Ex-Chief Ministers Residence Allotment Rules framed by the U.P. Government in 1997.

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