UP ex-CMs may breathe easy, no eviction from bungalows

Lucknow, Aug 30 (PTI) Former Uttar Pradesh chief ministersneed not have to vacate their government bungalows here withthe state Assembly today passing two bills to skirt SupremeCourt directive for their eviction within two months. The Uttar Pradesh Ministers (salaries, allowances andmiscellaneous provisions)(Amendment) Bill, 2016 which providesfor this facility to former chief ministers for life, waspassed by a voice vote. The bill was introduced after the apex court on August 1directed six former UP chief ministers to vacate theirofficial bungalows in the state capital in two months and paythe rent at market rate for the period falling underunauthorised occupation. "A government residence shall be alloted to a former chiefminister of Uttar Pradesh, at his/her request, for his/herlifetime, on payment of such rent as may be determined fromtime to time by the Estate Department of the stategovernment," the Statement of Objects and Reasons of thebill says. The bill also revises salaries and allowances in view ofprice rise and escalation in cost of living. It provides that chief minister and ministers, minister ofstate with independent charge and minister of state shall beentitled, throughout the term of his office, a salary of Rs40,000 per month while the deputy minister will get a salaryof Rs 35,000 per month. The other bill – The Allotment of Houses Under Control ofthe Estate Department Bill, 2016, – seeking to regulate theallotment of government accommodation under the control of theestate department to employees and officers of the stategovernment, employees association, political parties, officersof All India Service, MLAs, MLCs, trusts, ministers, chairmanand deputy chairman of Legislative Council, speaker and deputyspeaker of Legislative Assembly, Justices and journalists, wasalso passed by the House. The ex-CMs who were to be affected by the apex court’sdirective include Union Home Minister and BJP leader RajnathSingh, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Samajwadi Party chiefMulayam Singh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and Congress leadersND Tiwari and Ram Naresh Yadav. All of them are living ingovernment bungalows in Lucknow. Earlier, Suresh Khanna and Radha Mohan Das Agarwal (bothBJP) suggested sending the proposed legislation to the selectcommitte to deliberate on certain amendments. PTI SAB SMI SMJSMJ