Stay cut short

Ravi S.Singh in New Delhi

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry pats itself for having tightened the noose around the squatters, including former ministers, MPs and bureaucrats, deterring them from overstaying in the Capital’s bungalows. However, more needs to be done to plug the escape routes available in the eviction law.

A senior official of the ministry said measures like imposing exorbitant penal rents against overstay in government accommodation were being taken rigorously. Requests and recommendations for the extension by former parliamentarians and ministers have been summarily rejected.

The NDA government has evicted about 1,600 persons, mostly politicians and bureaucrats since it came to power in May 2014.  Also, it was a jolt to squatters when in the first week of December 2016, the Delhi High Court said any allottee staying illegally in government accommodation was liable to pay damages.

The ministry official said errant officers do not find it tempting to overstay in government accommodations, especially after implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendation. It has enhanced the House Rent Allowance (HRA) commensurate with fulsome hike in basic pay. For example, Joint Secretary in the union government will be getting Rs 40,000 as HRA.

A senior officer staying in higher type bungalow as per his entitlement will have to shell out double the HRA amount. The mechanics of it is that the penal rate (market rate) will be counted over the HRA, which doubles the amount in the final analysis.

On the contrary, in the wake of recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, an officer may prefer to even opt for a decent private accommodation, which would be available at the enhanced HRA amount.