Who will throw these VIP squatters out?

22 politicians under general pool alone

danish

Danish Raza | February 23, 2010


File photo of former minister Jagdish Tytler, who is one of the squatters
File photo of former minister Jagdish Tytler, who is one of the squatters

As many as 22 politicians continue to be unauthorised occupants of government bungalows in prime locations across New Delhi.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal, a Delhi-based RTI activist got this information from the director of estates (ministry of urban development) in response to an application he had filed in December 2009. Besides other information, Agrawal had sought the latest list of unauthorised occupants of government accommodation in New Delhi.

As per the information, Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Renuka Chowdhury are occupying 3, GRG Road and 76, Lodi Estate respectively. While the leader of Lok Janshakti Party, Ram Vilas Paswan is the occupant of 12, Janpath, the family of late prime minister VP Singh continues to occupy 1, Teen Murti Marg.

Others in the list include senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani, Ashwini Kumar, JS Sarma, Neera Shastri and KP Singh.

Agrawal was provided the list of only the general pool. “This is incomplete information," Agrawal said, "I also want the list of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha pools. I have filed an appeal before the appellate authority.”.

Agrawal had also asked if the government had taken steps such as throwing out goods of unauthorised occupants, as was done in the case of former parliamentarian Ramdas Athawale of Republican Party of India. “Such steps are taken as and when considered necessary,” said the reply by JP Rath, deputy director of estates.

As per the rulebook, only one bungalow is allowed for the office of a political party. To the query as to why Congress and BJP were allotted more than one bungalow, the response was that the allotment of additional bungalows have been made with the approval of the competent authority i.e. the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.

Agrawal has now demanded the copy of the said approval and file notings regarding the same.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Provisional answer key for civil (prelim) to be released soon after exams

For the first time, the Union Public Service Commission will release the Provisional Answer Key for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, soon after the exam, to enhance transparency and uphold the highest standards of conduct of examination.   Terming it as “a

Thinking about thinking: How the mind (or AI) works

Tom Griffiths is one of those scientists working at the cutting edge of cognitive science and AI. He is a professor of psychology and computer science at Princeton University, and directs the Computational Cognitive Science Lab and the Princeton Laboratory for AI. His first book for general readership &lsq

`M`rashtra muni. corpns face major governance, citizen participation gaps`

A statewide consultation organised by Praja Foundation has highlighted major governance, financial, and citizen participation gaps across Maharashtra’s Municipal Corporations, calling for urgent reforms to strengthen urban local bodies in line with the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. &nb

When children stay healthy, they stay in school

Learning Begins with Wellbeing The future of education is often discussed through the lens of classrooms, technology, and learning outcomes. Yet one of the most critical drivers of a child’s ability to learn remains surprisingly overlooked: their health.  

India lost Rs 52,000 crore to cyber fraud in five years: DoT

India has lost more than Rs 52,000 crore to cyber fraud over the last five years, officials have revealed. Out of approximately 60 lakh cyber fraud complaints received, more  than 3,000 cases have been resolved and six cyber fraud setups have been busted.   On the occ

India must not wait for its own Ella

In many Indian cities, children learn to wear masks before they are old enough to understand why. That reality should alarm us far more than it does.   In 2020, nine-year-old Ella Adoo Kissi Debrah became the first person in the world to have air pollution officially recognized a


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter