MoUD raises Rs 1.98 cr due against Lok Sabha Speaker

A bill of Rs 1.98 crore has been raised by the Estates Department of the Urban Development Ministry against Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for occupation of 6, Krishna Menon Marg since 1986 after the demise of her father late Jagjivan Ram.

The Department of Estates, in an RTI reply, has given a list of 10 persons including "family members of Late Indrani Devi i.e. Smt Mira Kumar (sic)" and dues against them for occupation of bungalows.

The list shows Kumar has a pending rent due of Rs 1,98,22,723 for which a bill has been issued, it says.

The department was replying to a query by RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal on pending rent dues towards persons having occupied government premises after losing entitlement.

When contacted for comments, the Speaker's office said "the family members of Late Smt Indrani Devi, vacated 6, Krishna Menon Marg, New Delhi by 30.11.2002, and intimation in this regard was given to CPWD, NDMC, Director of Estates and other concerned authorities.

"NDMC disconnected water and electricity supply immediately. None of the family members of Late Smt Indrani Devi have, thereafter, been in the occupation of said premises," it said.

Two other persons mentioned in the list--Senior Congress leader Buta Singh and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman J S Sarma--have "Nil" dues against them, the reply said.

The reply which is based on records of September 16, 2011 says other people with pending dues include artist Pratibha Pande (Rs 43.63 lakh), Chief Executive Officer of Price Stabilisation Fund Trust, Pravir Kumar (Rs 2.61 lakh), former Chief Information Commissioner A N Tiwari (Rs 4.71 lakh), former Lok Sabha MP Mrityunjaya Nayak (Rs 3.21 lakh), former Member of National Commission for Backward Classes Abdul Ali Azizi (Rs 1.97 lakh) and Amitabh Bhattacharya (Rs 2.04 lakh).

When contacted, Pravir Kumar said he was posted in Gujarat between August 2010-2011 and dues of Rs 1.48 lakh for the period have been cleared by him.

Pravir said he has come back to Delhi as Chief Executive Officer of Price Stabilisation Fund Trust with Commerce Ministry on August 12 this year and is entitled to the accommodation here. His application for regularisation has been pending, he said.

Pande, who got the accommodation under artist quota, said her husband is a retired bureaucrat and she would be vacating the premises in December, 2011.

"My husband retired in June this year...There is some misunderstanding about the bills. In any case I will be vacating this premises in December," she said without giving any further details.

Tiwari said he had requested the department to let him continue for eight months in his official residence, after demitting office in December 2010, the facility which was available to retiring Secretaries but that was turned down.

He said three days back he has received letter from Directorate of Estates giving dues for his overstay in his erstwhile official residence. "This is a routine process and I would deposit the dues in a week or so," Tiwari told PTI over phone.

Calls to Azizi, Singh did not yield any reply while Bhattacharya and Nayak could not be reached.