No private persons except SPG protectees to get government houses

NEW DELHI: The criteria for allotment of government accommodation has been revised and no private person except a SPG protectee will be allocated such a space in future, Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo said today.

Replying to a written question in Lok Sabha, he also said that at present only three private persons -- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Punjab Police chief K P S Gill and former Youth Congress chief Maninder Singh Bitta -- have been provided government accommodation.

"The criteria for allocation of government houses on security considerations have been changed making only SPG protectees eligible for such consideration. Special licence fee shall be charged for such accommodation. The security protectees will not be required to surrender their own houses in Delhi in lieu of allocation of government accommodation," the minister said.

Under the previous criteria, private persons under ' Z Plus' security category were also entitled for government accommodation and they were required to surrender own houses in Delhi further to allocation of government accommodation and in such cases, special licence fee was charged instead of market rent.