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Several former MPs have been evicted from their bungalows in recent months under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, Act, which the Bill passed by Lok Sabha today further amended and strengthened. Eviction notices have also been issues to those MPs who no longer remain ministers. They have been asked to occupy smaller bungalows, commensurate with their new states as Opposition MPs.
The Lok Sabha today passed the amendments to the 1971 Act with the aim to make the language tighter, include properties held by Metro Railways under the definition of public premises, make the law consistent with the amended Companies Act and give more powers to government Estate officers. The bill seeks to redefine public premises. The new definition would also include companies in which the Centre or state government has over 51 per cent equity.
A bill to extend for National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi the deadline to meet the targets of the Delhi Master Plan 2021 and another to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, were also introduced and will be taken up for discussion later this week.
The last two bills were introduced through supplementary list of business amid protests from the Opposition. The Opposition has been accusing the government of flouting Parliamentary conventions and precedents by introducing bills through supplementary lists without discussing these in the Business Advisory Committee meetings of the House.
During the discussion on the bill to evict unauthorized persons from public land, Trinamool MP Saugata Roy faulted Urban Development Minister for evicting MPs from their homes. "In his hurry to act as a disciplinarian, he should not act against MPs. We are not beggars," Roy said, adding Opposition MPs were being "victimized".
The senior Trinamool MP quit as a minister in the UPA government in September 2012 but has continued to stay in his ministerial bungalow. Roy said he, as did another former Trinamool minister Sudip Bandyopadhyay, recently received "extremely rude" eviction notices that insinuated they were "usurpers".
Roy said it was "very unfortunate" if strengthening the hands of the Urban Development Ministry will lead to "MPs being given eviction notices". He said the Ministry had "slept" for over two years since the two ministers had resigned in September 2012. Roy also alleged that Naidu was staying in a bungalow for 10-years to which he wasn't entitled.
Naidu said he had "no animosity or personal vendetta" but he has to do "this painful duty" as he has to create accommodation for several ministers who are still staying in hotels with government bearing the cost. He also said that former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has filed a petition on the issue of former MPs not evicting their bungalows. Naidu said he had occupied a larger bungalow as he was the President of his party, the ruling party then, and later the Estates Office had said no other bungalow was available.
Other Opposition MPs, like Sushmita Dev, feared that the amendments to the Act could be draconian, particularly to evict charitable hospitals and orphanages.
