HC to hear Kaushal’s PIL against official facilities to ex-CMs today

SMA Kazmi

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Tribune News service

Dehradun, April 22

The Uttarakhand High Court will hear a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Avdhash Kaushal, founder of Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, asking the state government to withdraw all facilities extended to former chief ministers of the state. The case is listed in the high court for the final hearing tomorrow.

The PIL prayed that Uttarakhand, a small mountainous state of India, has seen many chief ministers in its short time of existence. All seven chief ministers allotted themselves furnished palatial houses for whole life, besides staff and two vehicles with recurring and non-recurring expenses without approval from the Vidhan Sabha. Enjoying palatial houses, staff and vehicles at the cost of the exchequer does not bother any of the former chief ministers, the petitioner stated. The PIL is pending in the court since 2010.

Kaushal has mentioned a list of houses owned by former chief ministers as submitted by them via affidavits to establish the fact that every former chief minister has a house of his own and can afford to live in it. Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been allotted a big bungalow on Cantt Road, Dehradun, while he has also a government house No. 11A, Ashoka Road, New Delhi. The state government in its reply said Koshyari didn’t have a house of his own anywhere. While according to his own affidavit, he owns Hotel Uttaranchal Deep in Pithoragarh and also an ancestral house.

Similarly, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ owns a palatial house No. 37/1, Vijay Colony, Rabindranath Tagore Marg, Dehradun, while his official residence is R-4, Yamuna Colony, Dehradun, and another official residence at Bungalow No.13, Teen Murti Lane, New Delhi. He jointly owns two residential ancestral bungalows at Pinani village in Pauri Garhwal while his wife owns a residential bungalow in Upper Bazaar, Pauri Garhwal, according to an affidavit filed by him during the elections.

ND Tiwari occupies three houses i.e., Anant Van, FRI campus, Lane No.1, Vrichagar Road, Dehradun, allotted by the Uttarakhand Government, another government house at 1 Mall Avenue, Lucknow, and third at 9, C-1, Tilak Lane, New Delhi.

BC Khanduri has official residences at A-1/A-2, Yamuna Colony, Dehradun; 7, K. Kamraj Lane, New Delhi, and a permanent residence at Jai Durga Niwas, 12, Vikas Marg, Pauri Garhwal. He also owns a personal residence C-305, Som Vihar, New Delhi. Vijay Bahuguna owns a commercial flat at Athens Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, a flat at Assotech Ltd. His other residences are A-14, GF Friends Colony East, New Delhi (co-owned with his wife) and A-14, Friends Colony East, New Delhi. His wife owns flats at Pure Earth Infrastructure Ltd., Bara Hindurao, Delhi, and Bhasin InfoTech and Infrastructure P Ltd. She has commercial houses at Pure Earth Infrastructure Ltd., Bara Hindurao, Delhi, and Bhasin Info Tech and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.

Kaushal said this makes the situation more brazen as there was no constitutional provision that states that former chief ministers could be accorded all facilities at the cost of the poor state’s treasury.

The most important point to be taken into consideration is that offices of many constitutional commissions are running from rented buildings in the state. The State Human Rights Commission is paying a rent of Rs 1.7 lakh per month while the Right to Service Commission is paying a rent of Rs 35,000 per month. These are just a few examples out of hundreds of such offices being run from rented buildings.