New Delhi: Taking a serious view of non-compliance with its orders, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the West Bengal Housing Secretary, asking him to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for not giving it details of unauthorised occupants in government bungalows in the State.

A Bench consisting of Justices B.N. Agarwal and P.P. Naolekar asked him to be present in the court on November 7.

Earlier, counsel for the State submitted that pursuant to the court's notice, he wrote seven letters to the Housing Secretary, asking for the details to be placed before it. However, he received no response from the government.

As for Orissa, the Bench issued notice to the former Chief Ministers Hemanand Biswal and Giridhar Gomango (now MP); Prasanna Acharya (BJD MP), Dharmender Pradhan (BJP MP), Bed Prakash Aggarwal, Prasad Kumar Harichandra, Bijoy Mohapatra and Shambhunath Nayak (all former MLAs), asking why they should not be evicted.

It directed the State Government to publish in all leading newspapers the list of 108 unauthorised occupants.

Status report sought

The Bench also issued notice to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat, asking them to file by October 31 status reports on illegal occupation of government bungalows.

The estate officers of Jammu and Kashmir have been directed to be personally present in the court on November 7 to explain why eviction proceedings were not initiated against the illegal occupants of government accommodation.

The Bench was not satisfied with the government explanation that as Srinagar was the summer capital and Jammu the winter capital, the MLAs could be shown as migrants.

It was satisfied with the action taken by the Madhya Pradesh Government against illegal occupants in government bungalows.

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