Two MPs among 587 people in illegal possession of government houses for years

BY SUMIT KUMAR SINGH

New Delhi, Feb 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two sitting MPs, nine former parliamentarians and 576 other people are currently illegally occupying official accommodations provided by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs here with several of them ensconced for over a decade, and in some cases, for over two decades.

The ministry has found that huge amounts -- all which is public money -- are due from these illegal occupants.

They revelation came after the ministry prepared an internal report to share with its legal and enforcement wing.

The oldest occupant of the government accommodation is living there since 1998. There are persons, who are staying from 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and later on.

There are nine families who are occupying government flats for more than a decade. There is another set of nine people who are in illegal possession of government flats and about a decade and each have rental dues of more than Rs 50 lakh.

The ministry found that retired official V.P. Rao is in illegal possession of a bungalow at Rajpur Road and has dues of Rs 95 lakh. Similarly, another former official R.K. Swami, who retired in 2001, is in illegal possession of a government house at Vikaspuri and has rent of Rs 74 lakh due.

Two sitting MPs and nine former MPs are illegally occupying bungalows in Lutyens Delhi even after they have been given eviction notices. Most of have been illegally occupying since dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha on June 25, 2019.

Lok Sabha member Veena Devi is in possession of type VI bungalow at C-II/32 Tilak Lane and has dues of Rs 2.54 lakh, while Rajya Sabha member K.C. Ramamurthy, who resigned as a Congress Rajya Sabha member and later got re-elected to the upper house of Parliament as a BJP member, is also illegal possession of a government bungalow, the ministry found.

Among the former Lok Sabha members in illegal possession of their official residences are A.P. Jithender Reddy, living in a type VII bungalow at 1, BRM Lane and total rental due is Rs 3.87 lakh, Dr K. Gopal, staying in Type V bungalow at 209 North Avenue and has rent of Rs 1.31 lakh due, and Tej Pratap Singh Yadav is in possession of type VI bungalow at C-1, 14 Humayun Road and has dues of Rs 1.51 lakh.

Late BJP MP Manohar Untwal's family is in possession of C-2, MS Flat and owes rent of Rs 5.19 lakh.

Udit Raj is in possession of Type V bungalow at T-5, Atul Grove Road and has a rental due of Rs 3.45 lakh.

Murali Mohan Manganti is in possession of Type VI Bungalow at 201 Kaveri and has due of Rs 2.44 lakhs.

Ranjeet Ranjan is in possession of Type VII bungalow and a rent of Rs 3.39 lakh is dues and Dhananjay Mahadik is in possession of Type V bungalow at 81 South Avenue and has incurred a due of Rs 1.90 lakhs.

Former Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Sinh is in illegal possession of a type VII bungalow at 82 Lodhi Estate and owes rent of Rs 5.87 lakh.

After finding number of people illegally occupying government houses, a senior ministry officer said that prima facie appears that "there is connivance from the officers of the ministry also".

Source: IANS