Self-proclaimed champion of women rights and erstwhile WCD minister Renuka Chowdhury is one of the predators sitting on taxpayer money. It is another matter that she can argue that since women are taxed lower, it is only men who are suffering more, as was indeed her once famous comment.
Ten months after the Lok Sabha elections, 22 former ministers and Parliamentarians continue to occupy government accommodation allotted to them earlier.
A reply from the Union Urban Development Ministry on a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by S C Agrawal, a textile businessman based in Old Delhi, said there are 22 “unauthorised” occupants of bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi.
The 22 include former Union ministers Jagdish Tytler and Renuka Chowdhary, the family of former Prime Minister late
V P Singh and eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani.
This list was issued by the Directorate of Estates on February 18 in response to Agrawal’s RTI query filed in December last year.
Agrawal had also asked whether steps were taken to evict the illegal occupants, as was the case with former MP Ramdas Athawale, who was forcibly evicted from his government bungalow last year after he lost the Lok Sabha elections.
In its reply, the Directorate of Estates stated: “Such steps would be taken under the provision of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act as and when considered necessary.”
Agrawal said: “There are different yardsticks even while tackling law-breaking VVIP occupants of government accommodations. The government should explain why a similar eviction is not being conducted for these 22 encroachers.”
The RTI query also revealed that the bungalow at 6, Krishna Menon Marg, vacated by Meira Kumar, is yet to be allotted.
Unauthorised occupants
Jagdish Tytler - 6, GRG Road
Saleem I Sherwani - 47, Lodhi Estate
Renuka Chowdhury - 76, Lodhi Estate
Ram Vilas Paswan - 12, Janpath
Family of ex-PM V P Singh - 1, Teen Murti Marg
Ram Jethmalani - 2, Akbar Road
Ashwini Kumar - 34, Lodhi Estate
J S Sarma - CI/23, Pandara Park
Neera Shastri - CI/17, Pandara Park
K P Singh - CII/I-C, HUDCO Place
Manju S. Hembrom - CII/73, Chanakyapuri
R K Tandon - CII/D-7.3, RK Puram
Veena S Rao - CII/73, Moti Bagh
H S Josh - CII/27, Tilak Lane
KK Chakrabarty - CII/51, Shahjahan Road
Family of P K Das - CII/A-8.1, RK Puram
P K Mishra - D-1/71, Chanakyapuri
Abhijit Bhattacharya - D-1/6, Rabindra Nagar
BB Mallik - D1/A-13, HUDCO Place
H K Suhas - DI/E-26, HUDCO Place
Pratibha Pandey - DI/112, Rabindra Nagar
Rajesh Kumar Singh - DI/K-22, RK Puram