Eviction notice slapped on 16 former ministers, owe Rs 21 lakh to govt: Naidu

Sixteen former ministers of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government have been served eviction notices for unauthorised staying in government bungalows, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

The former ministers owe a total damage charges of Rs 20,92,463 for one month of unauthorised stay till July 26, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

The former ministers include Jaipal Reddy, Ajit Singh, Krishna Tirath, Sachin Pilot, M M Pallam Raju, Girija Vyas, Farooq Abdullah, Beni Prasad Varma, Kapil Sibal and Srikant Jena. These have not vacated their accommodation till date.

The damage charges range from Rs 53,250 a month in case of Type V accommodation to Rs 2,43,678 for Type III accommodation, according to a PIB statement.

Another 21 former ministers are staying in general pool bungalows and they have been given another 15 days' time to move into their entitled accommodation to be provided by respective House committees. These former ministers, who are members of either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha, have been advised to obtain accommodation from their respective pools.

Here, the former ministers include A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjuna Kharge, Veerappa Moily, Vyalar Ravi, Oscar Fernandes, Jairam Ramesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia, K V Thomas, Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Shukla, among others.

A total of 683 flats, ranging from Type I to Type VII, are under unauthorised occupation of former employees and others for a period ranging from one month to 21 years. All these have been issued eviction notices. Damage charges that are due ranged from Rs 4,247 to Rs 60,04,164, the statement adds.