Deve Gowda hasn't cleared Rs26,112 bill, Jaitley owes govt Rs15,380 and Meira Kumar Rs 16,359
Eighty-seven senior politicians, including sitting and former MPs, a former prime minister and some of the highest tax payers of the country such as finance minister Arun Jaitley and former Congress minister Abhishek Manu Singhvi, are unable to pay the minuscule rent that they owe to the urban development ministry for occupying a government house.
A reply to dna's RTI query reveals that urban development ministry has dues of over Rs 34 lakh to recover from politicians across party lines.
Former prime minister HD Deva Godwa, who has been occupying a flat at VP House since 2002, has dues of Rs 26,112 to pay. Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi is to pay the urban development ministry Rs 2,13,831 and Sandeep Dikshit, former MP and son of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, owes the government Rs 1,47,498.
Both Singhvi and Dikshit have been occupying bungalows at North and South Avenue since 2009 when they were sitting MPs.
Amongst other defaulters are former speaker Meira Kumar, former MPs Parvez Hashmi, Renuka Chaudhary, PC Chako and PL Punia. For all these former parliamentarians, these dues are of the second houses that they had occupied.
Veteran Congress leader Motilal Vora who occupies eight government houses besides his official entitlement also owes the government Rs 4.25 lakh. Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar is also a defaulter of Rs 16,359.
The list of defaulters also includes three leaders of the Modi cabinet. Arun Jaitley, Maneka Gandhi and Ram Vilas Paswan. Jaitley who is occupying 76 South Avenue lane, has dues of Rs15,380. Gandhi has to pay Rs 77,556 and Paswan Rs 76,908.
At VP House every second flat is occupied by a defaulter who has either over stayed in the house or has long-pending dues to be paid to the government.
Most of these allotments of a second accommodation were made during the two UPA government terms. The BJP government now is reworking on the whole policy of allotment of second houses and guest houses.
The ministry has also written to all 87 occupants to pay the outstanding dues and to vacate the houses. "There are directions from the Cabinet Committees on Allotment to stop allotting second houses. There is a long wait list that has to cleared first," said an official of directorate of estates.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}