Why should MPs continue to stay in Hotels at exorbitant costs?
19 Apr, 2015Reply by the Ministry of Urban Development to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that many elected representatives are staying in hotels of Delhi at high cost to the exchequer. The RTI application filed by Ved Pal had shown the hotel Ashok was charging Rs 7,000 per day only for accommodation till September 2014, which has been increased to Rs 9,000 later while the rent in case of Samrat and Janpath has been raised from Rs 6,000 per day to Rs 7,000. The Members of Parliament (MP) were staying in hotels as transit accommodation to awaiting allotment of the permanent accommodation.
The parliamentary house committee, which is entrusted with the allocation of accommodation to MPs, had asked them to shift to government flats and had indicated that future hotel bill for their stay would not be paid by the government. The total money released by the government on transit accommodation of MPs between 1990-91 and 2013-14 is Rs 35.75 crores. It has been alleged that outstanding bill from ITDC-run hotels and state guest houses would amount to a further Rs 20-25 crore.
In October 2014, over 100 MPs were staying in Hotel Ashoka. Currently, nearly 30 MPs who are staying in Hotel Ashok for the last 8-10 months and over the next few days, they are likely to be shifted to state guest houses or to hotels where the rentals are lower. Some state guest houses charge a daily rent of less as Rs 45 (Odisha Bhawan) and Rs 50 (Assam Bhawan) which is much less than that charged by Hotel Ashok. Critics have pointed to the unauthorized occupation of some of the bungalows for which action for eviction is required to be taken.
Readers may refer to –
Apex Court takes cognisance of illegal occupation of government bungalows - Read more at: http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/apex-court-takes-cognisance-illegal-occupation-gov#.VTKUG_mUfA8
59 former Ministers and bureaucrats permitted to retain their official bungalows - Read more at: http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/59-former-ministers-and-bureaucrats-permitted-reta#.VTKUe_mUfA8
22 former ministers continue to occupy government accommodation in Delhi - Read more at: http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/22-former-ministers-continue-occupy-government-acc#.VTKUm_mUfA8