In the House and still putting up in hotels

Home may be where the heart is, but for many members of Parliament, state guest houses and hotels will do just as well.

According to a notice sent by the House Committee on Accommodation, many MPs continue to occupy hotels and state guest houses, despite being allotted government houses.

They have been given time till December 8 to move into their new houses, or the Parliament Secretariat would stop picking up the tab for the hotel stay.

According to sources, many MPs feel that the houses allotted to them are not adequate, or require extensive repairs.

There are some who have unique problems with regard to moving in. Take the case of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's brother-in-law, Subhash Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member. He has been allotted the house,which is occupied by DP Yadav, a former MP, whose son is the prime accused in the Nitish Katara murder case.

According to Subhash Yadav, although the house has been allotted to him, not a single notice for eviction has been sent to DP Yadav. "They should simply ask me to get the house vacated," he said.

Other than that, the old colonial structures where the members of Parliament are housed are not finding many takers among the high profile MPs.

BJP member of Parliament and matinee idol Dharmendra continues to stay in Ashoka Hotel, despite being allotted accommodation, which in his case is a D-II type flat in South Avenue. Little wonder that he is staying put at the hotel. His film star colleague Jaya Prada though is still waiting for an allotment.

Minister of State for Agriculture Taslimuddin stays in the Bihar Bhavan when in the Capital and is not satisfied with whatever accommodation given to him by the committee.

A major problem is that many of the previous occupants have not vacated their houses to make way for the new incumbents. For example, Suresh Prabhu of the Shiv Sena is occupying a bungalow on Ashok Road. He has been asked to move out, but he has problems with the new accommodation allotted to him in South Avenue and has asked for more time.