Officials Intensify Lobbying To Get Accommodation Regulariseds

Government officials who face eviction from government accommodation have intensified lobbying with ministers and political parties to get their allotments regularised. They want it done through legislation.

The officials are being evicted because the accommodation was allotted to them out of turn over 40,000 waiting employees.

Nearly 2,500 government officials are facing eviction, following a direction of the Supreme Court of India. The directorate of estates of the urban development ministry had served notices on these officials, asking them to vacate their houses or face eviction.

With the out-of-turn allottees becoming active, those who are on the waiting list have also intensified their lobbying against regularisation. One such official, who was distributing an unsigned background note on out of turn allotment of government accommodation, claimed that a very senior official was supervising the political lobbying.

He argued with a Member of Parliament saying that first this government will regularise this allotment, then the out of turn petrol pumps and gas agencies, and then protect animal husbandry scamsters. Those affected by the Supreme Court order have been on the warpath, saying they would not vacate their houses and would resist with their families when they are evicted. Admitting that they had used money or political influence to get the out of turn allotment, these employees argue that the original list of out of turn allotments were four times the number now. They allege that those who had political influence got their names deleted from the list.

Among those whose names were in the original list but got deleted include officials of the Supreme Court.

They also argue that they are poor government servants who could not afford a private accommodation in a city like Delhi. Besides, being government servants, they had a right to government accommodation and therefore what they have got is only what was due to them.

Those on the wait list refute this and say that they, 40,000 in number, too, are eligible for government accommodation and are paying market rent on private accommodation. Any move to regularise the allotments would be a great injustice to them, some of whom have been on the wait list for the last 25 years.

In the brief note circulated to the MPs, officials have appealed that political parties should not create obstruction in implementing the Supreme Court judgement as the latest attempt of political lobbying by certain beneficiaries will affect the morale of honest employees, who are genuinely waiting for their turn.