Jammu and Kashmir administration to evict politicians from illegally occupied accommodations

While in other states chief ministers are supposed to vacate their official residence at the end of their tenure, in J&K, they could retain them, owing to security reasons, thanks to an amendment in the rules made more than two decades ago. Credit: AFP

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed officials to evict former ministers and legislators of various political parties, who are illegally holding government accommodation in Srinagar and Jammu cities.

Sources said in this regard the Estates Department has issued final eviction notices to dozens of politicians, belonging to the BJP, Congress, National Conference, PDP and other smaller parties. Besides final eviction notices, intimation notices have also been issued to them asking them to vacate the government accommodation, of which they are no more entitled.

While maximum of these politicians have been issued final eviction notices to vacate within one week, a few others have been issued initiation notices, which shall be followed by the final eviction notices as permissible period for retention of the allotted accommodation to them expires, they said.

“Estates Department was authorized to forcibly evict the occupants if the accommodation is not vacated within one week since issuance of eviction notice,” sources added.

The administration had recently said there are huge complaints of illegal occupation of government accommodation by political workers, former ministers, ex-legislators, retired officials and journalists in twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar and several of them have huge arrears of rent pending against them.

As per J&K government order number 169- GAD of 2004, permissible period for retention of the official residential accommodation is one month since the completion of term as legislator and two month in case of death of the allottee.

However, former ministers and legislators are occupying the government accommodation even after more than 21 months since dissolution of the Assembly.

Last week former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah announced that he was voluntarily vacating the government accommodation provided to him 18 years ago due to the change in rules of entitlement in the Union Territory.

While in other states chief ministers are supposed to vacate their official residence at the end of their tenure, in J&K, they could retain them, owing to security reasons, thanks to an amendment in the rules made more than two decades ago.

However, after the abrogation of special status of J&K under Article 370 last August, the law was scrapped.