Extension plea rejected, 144 former MPs asked to vacate residences

As many as 144 former MPs may have to find alternative accommodations in the national capital, as the panel responsible for fixing official residences has rejected their plea for extended stay and asked them to vacate their official quarters immediately.

Left with the onerous task of finding accommodations for nearly 315 first-time MPs, Lok Sabha’s Housing Committee rejected pleas of ex-MPs to extend their stay during its last meeting on Thursday.

Despite Lok Sabha Secretariat serving vacation notices on 265 former parliamentarians by June 18, just 82 of them have obliged.

However, nearly 182 former MPs, majority from the Congress party, wanted permission to stay in the official quarters citing children’s education and health as reasons.

“As the house committee has to allot accommodations to over 315 first-time parliamentarians, the panel has decided to reject the request of all applications seeking extension,” a source told Deccan Herald.

The panel also decided to write to the Directorate of Estates to start eviction process of ex-MPs overstaying in the official accommodations.

While fixing new norms for allotment of official accommodations, the panel has also decided to strictly enforce seniority norms, followed only in breach in the past.

According to the new norms, MPs elected for eight terms or more or former union cabinet ministers, former governors or chief ministers elected to the 16th Lok Sabha are eligible for a Type VIII independent bungalow, comprising three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a
drawing room, a dining hall, lawn and one servant quarter.

The norms also specify that MPs who have served between four and seven terms would get Type VII bungalows with three bedrooms (smaller than the Type VIII ones) and lawns, while first term MPs are entitled for three-bedroom apartments.