Who are the illegal occupants of the government bungalows of Delhi?
8 Jul, 2013Just as the Supreme Court has issued orders to get the official accommodation in prime Delhi areas evicted from the unauthorized occupants, the information provided by the Directorate of Estates of the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has shown that the list of occupants includes senior bureaucrats, members of government commissions, journalists and other influential Delhiites. As per information provided to the RTI applicant Subhash Chandra Agrawal, the Directorate of Estates has served cancellation notices to as many as 47 persons. Further, as per the available data, most of such persons tend to challenge the eviction notices in court and continue to hold on to their accommodation pending the court proceedings. Up to February 2013, there are at least 67 cases pending in the court. Most of the cases are of 2008 vintage while one case is of 2001.
The illegal occupants are living in posh localities like Chanakya Puri, San Martin Marg, Shahjahan Road, Asian Games Village, Moti Bagh, Hudco Place, Rabindra Nagar, Bharti Nagar and RK Puram. The accommodation category is Type 6, Type 5 and Type 4, the market rent of which will be at least between Rs.50,000 and Rs.1 lakh monthly.
Former culture secretary Jawahar Sircar has been authorised by a Cabinet note and he is staying in the same at 157 Chanakyapuri while former Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal, has vacated his accommodation recently.
Cancellation notices have alleged to have been served on Abdul Ali Azizi, former member National Commission for Backward Classes; retired bureaucrat Ashok Chawla at 69, Chanakyapuri; Buta Singh, former chairman of National Commission for SCs, at 11-A Teen Murti, H.S. Hanspal; former National Minorities Commission member at 23 Moti Bagh, Sudhir Kumar at San Martin Marg, among many others.