'Unauthorised' constructions at bungalows of Advani, Sushma

Senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari and MPs Ram Vilas Paswan, Lalu Prasad, Amar Singh as also former minister Arjun Singh are among those who have allegedly carried out unauthorised construction in the bungalows allotted to them in the Lutyen's zone.

The details of 182 present and former members of Parliament who have carried out such construction has been made public by Central Public Works Department in an RTI reply.
The reply also lists the names of BJP MPs Ram Jethmalani and Kalraj Mishra, RLD President Ajit Singh, JD(U)Chief Sharad Yadav, Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Rajiv Shukla, Mohd Azharuddin and U P Chief Minister Mayawati.

The others figuring the list are Karan Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu, Kirti Azad, Jaya Prada, Suresh Kalmadi besides Ravishankar Prasad, Yashwant Sinha, Raj Babbar and Suresh Kalmadi.

The state and national headquarters of BJP and BSP have also been listed as properties where unauthorised construction has been carried out, the reply states.

The nature of construction by leaders ranges from additional rooms, halls, badminton courts, toilets, offices, veranda, platforms, fibre sheet sheds and steel structures, among others, it said.

The CPWD said notices were issued to parliamentarians mentioned in the list and they were asked to remove the construction but it does not mention whether such notices were complied with by them.

On the removal of such unauthorised constructions, the CPWD said,"No FIRs were filed...It has been decided that the unauthorised construction shall be removed at the time of change of occupancy.

"At the time of vacation if any deficiency is found in the items issued to occupant, amount is recovered or the deficiency report is sent to concerned branch in Lok Sabha secretariat, Rajya Sabha secretariat/Director of Estate," he said.