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Delhi

Kiran Walia asked to vacate govt flat, to pay dues worth Rs 9 lakhs

Delhi government has asked former education minister Kiran Walia to vacate the official residence allotted to her, while she was in office. However, it has been four months since she demitted office. Walia has also been asked to pay an outstanding rent amount of Rs 9,38,000.

An eviction notice in this regard was sent out on Wednesday by the Public Works Department of Delhi government. Walia was allotted the flat no-I, Satya Sadan in Chanakyapuri during the Congress government’s regime and was issued a letter to vacate the house earlier by the department in February.

‘You are in unauthorized occupation of public premises mentioned in the schedule below and that you should be evicted from the said premises,’ the notice said.

‘I also call upon you to appear before me in person or through a duly authorized representative capable to answer all material questions connected with the matter along with the evidence which you intend to produce in support of the cause shown, on May 20 at 11.30 am for personal hearing.

‘In case, you fail to appear on the said date and time, the case will be decided ex parte,’ the notice said. The rent of the flats is 55 times more than the licence fee as per the norms which amounts to Rs 2,68,000 for one month.

The PWD will also issue a notice to former transport and education minister Arvinder Singh and ex-power minister Haroon Yusuf in the coming days asking them to pay the due rent amounts of the houses they were staying in’, a PWD official said.

Yusuf lived at Rouse Avenue Marg bungalow, while Singh resided at his official bungalow at Civil Lines. Both of them have already vacated their official residences allotted to them. Lovely has to pay an outstanding rent amount worth Rs 2.5 lakhs, whereas Yusuf has to pay Rs 7 lakhs.

As per the norms, former ministers can stay in official residences free of cost for 15 days after demitting office.

Afterwards, if they choose to stay there (maximum of six months), they are required to pay rent as per market rates. Former Delhi minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia is also on the defaulters list as he has neither vacated two flats allotted to him nor as he paid the rent for two months. He owes rent to the tune of Rs 1, 44,065 to the PWD.

Former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal has been paying rent of about Rs 82,000 per month for his Tilak Lane flat. He is allowed to stay in those flats till June, 2014. Other ministers from Congress and AAP-led government have vacated their flats within the given time frame. A PWD official also said that they are now conducting raids and asking government officials, who have been transferred or retired, to also vacate their official residences. ‘We managed to vacate 11 official flats in two days and we are making list of government officials over staying at their official residences,’ said the officer.
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