Chirag Paswan evicted from father’s ministerial bungalow: Why 'special housing’ for MPs and ministers is a common political flashpoint

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After losing his father in October 2020, Chirag Paswan on Wednesday vacated the bungalow at 12-Janpath in New Delhi, which had been allocated to former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, following eviction orders.

According to news agency ANI, officials said that an eviction order was issued last year by the Directorate of Estates (DoE) and multiple reminders were sent. The bungalow has served as a hub of Paswan’s political activities with Ram Vilas Paswan holding several press conferences there.

Interestingly, after the demise of Ram Vilas Paswan, the bungalow was allotted to Union Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in August last year.

This is the third such eviction in as many days by DoE, which got 7-Moti Lal Nehru evicted by BJP Lok Sabha MP Ram Shankar Katheria and 10-Pandit Pant Marg, occupied by Union minister and BJP MP P C Sarangi.

Here’s a look at how these bungalows are allocated, who is entitled to such accommodations and the many controversies surrounding them.

Special bungalows

Ministers are entitled to ‘special bungalows’ in Lutyens’ Delhi and these are allocated by the Directorate of Estates, which comes under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

There are different categories of bungalows with the Type VII and Type VIII on the top of the list. While Type-8 bungalows have five bedrooms, Type-7 have four bedrooms. Both have servant quarters, lawns and a garage.

In addition to central ministers, MPs are also allocated homes.

Former BJP Union Minister Vijay Goel, speaking to The Wire in 2015 on the matter, had said: “The responsibility of allotting a Type VII or Type VIII bungalow vests with the House Committee. There are no hard and fast rules on which one would be allotted. There are guidelines but no strict definitions. Also there are some `minister bungalows’ which are meant for ministers and there are some bungalows which are occupied by ministers out of their own choice. When a new government comes to power, it usually exercises the right to get minister bungalows allotted to its ministers.”

Modi government’s eviction drive

Since coming to power in 2014, Narendra Modi’s government has routinely evicted former ministers and MPs from these special bungalows, inviting ire from the Opposition.

It has routinely refused to entertain requests for extension, even from former party parliamentarians and ministers.
It was reported that in its first year of power, the Modi government evicted nearly 460 people from the Lutyens Bungalow Zone — a record of sorts. The reason for the eviction: houses are limited, and the pressure to find homes for new ministers and officials mounts because of the reluctance of many VIPs to move out at the end of their term.

In 2019, Parliament also passed the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019, which would facilitate smooth and speedy eviction of unauthorised occupants from government residential accommodations.

As per the law, those who overstay will be forced to shell out stiff fines. For instance, if they overstay beyond five months, they will have to pay up to Rs 10 lakh.

The new law also states that UD ministry can start eviction proceeding within three days after the stipulated time given to a former MP or a retired official is over.

Controversies over the bungalows

The allocation and eviction of bungalows has often caused political rows, with the Opposition accusing the NDA government of a vendetta and of double standards.

In 2015, two former Congress Cabinet ministers, Ambika Soni and Kumari Selja had moved the Delhi High Court, against the Centre's move to evict them. At the time, Soni occupied 22 Akbar Road while Selja stayed at 7 Moti Lal Nehru Marg.

Their pleas were dismissed and they eventually had to vacate their respective bungalows.

In 2016, Payal Abdullah, the estranged wife of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and their two sons were evicted from the government allotted bungalow on Akabar Road.

Earlier this year, the bungalow issue cropped up in the headlines when the Centre approached the Delhi High Court seeking directions for eviction of former Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Yadav from the government bungalow in the national capital, saying that he ceased to be a parliamentarian in 2017 but continues to retain the residence.

The court had on 15 March directed Yadav to “hand over the bungalow at 7, Tughlak Road here to the government within 15 days”, saying more than four years have elapsed since he was disqualified as an MP.

The former Janata Dal (United) leader then approached the Supreme Court on the matter. The apex court had then asked the Centre if it could consider on "humanitarian grounds" Yadav’s plea seeking more time to vacate his official bungalow in Delhi, as he is suffering from numerous ailments.

Eyebrows were raised when former education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ was also served a second eviction notice in February to vacate an official bungalow he was allotted when he was minister. The ‘Type-8’ Lutyens bungalow, located near Safdarjung’s Tomb, has been allotted to current Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

With inputs from agencies

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