Activist moves Ukhand HC over eviction of former CMs frm govt

Human rights activist Avdhesh Kaushal today filed an affidavit in Uttarakhand High Court for early hearing and disposal of his petition seeking eviction of five former CMs of the state occupying government bungalows here.
"I have filed an affidavit in the High Court through my counsel seeking early hearing and disposal of my petition seeking a direction from the court to five former CMs of Uttarakhand who occupy huge government bungalows in Dehradun despite owning houses of their own in the city and elsewhere including Lucknow and Delhi," Kaushal, who runs an NGO named Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), told PTI.

"It is a drain on the state exchequer as former chief ministers have been occupying these accommodations free of cost for years despite demitting their offices besides enjoying other facilities," he said.
The activist said it was hard to accept this at a time when important constitutional offices like the State Human Rights Commission office was housed in a rented accommodation in the city for which it has to pay a monthly rent of Rs 1.20 lakh.
The Supreme Court had recently directed former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh to vacate government bungalows occupied by them for years in Lucknow despite demitting office. The apex court had ruled that former Chief Ministers are not entitled for government accommodation for lifetime.

Former Uttarakhand CMs named in Kaushal's petition are Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Vijay Bahuguna.

Citing the instances of N D Tiwari and Vijay Bahuguna, the activist said both of the leaders own big houses of their own in different cities.
"While Tiwari owns a house each in Dehradun, Lucknow and Delhi, Bahuguna owns six flats in Delhi as per an affidavit filed before the returning officer for 2012 state assembly elections," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh ex-Chief Minister Residence Allocation
Rules, 1997, by which successive governments in Uttarakhand have tried to justify allocation of government bungalows to former CMs, have no legislative sanction, Kaushal contended.

"The Uttar Pradesh Ex-Chief Minister Residence Allocation Rules 1997 were never adopted and modified by the state of Uttarakhand and hence cannot be applicable in the state," he said.
The rules say the residence can only be provided to persons who have been ex-Chief Ministers in the Government of Uttar Pradesh. They provide for an accommodation only in the city of Lucknow.
The rules specifically provide that outside Lucknow, there cannot be any such allocation of residence, the activist said.
Kaushal, in a counter affidavit filed in the High Court in April this year, says Nishank has a personal "palatial" house in Dehradun (i) 37/1, Vijay Colony, Rabindranath Tagore Marg.

The residence provided to him as former CM is at (ii) R-4, Yamuna Colony, Dehradun and another official residence at (iii) Bungalow No 13, Teen Murti Lane, New Delhi.
N D Tiwari has been allotted a house at (i) Anant Van, FRI campus, Lane No1, Vrichagar Road, Dehradun by the Uttarakhand government, the affidavit said.
He is also occupying another government house at (ii) 1 Mall Avenue, Lucknow and (iii) Kothi No 9, C-1, Tilak Lane, New Delhi, he said in the affidavit.
B C Kanduri has residences at--(i) A-1/A-2, Yamuna Colony, Dehradun, another at (ii) 7, K Kamraj Lane, New Delhi - 110 011 and (iii) Permanent residence at Jai Durga Niwas, 12, VikasMarg, Pauri Garhwal, it said.

Koshyari has residences at (i) 17, New Cantt., Road, Dehradun; (ii) 11A, Ashoka Road, New Delhi and permanent residence at (iii) Hotel Uttranchal Deep, Naya Bazaar, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, the affidavit said.
Kaushal alleged that Koshyari, a former Rajya Sabha MP, has also occupied a huge government accommodation at 12, Ashoka Road, New Delhi, besides "illegally" retaining a huge government bungalow provided by the state of Uttarakhand at Cantt Road, Dehradun.