Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 6: Former Chief Minister, Ministers, legislators and president of a main stream political party are among 53 occupants of the Government accommodation although they have ceased to hold any constitutional or official position in the Government.
This has come to the fore in a status report submitted by the Estates Department of Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in response to a directive issued by the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
In the PIL, a Division Bench of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh vide order dated February 7, 2023 had observed, “Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, counsel for the petitioner submits that in spite of repeated orders passed by the court on earlier occasion clearly de-alienating the requirement for giving protection and official accommodation, the authorities continue to accommodate as many as 53 persons, who are still accommodated in the Government accommodations even when they have creased to hold any constitutional or official position in the Government”.
Accordingly, the Division Bench had directed that the recommendation(s) of the committee concerned and the particulars of those persons who are still being given the official accommodation be furnished.
Now, in a status report submitted in compliance to earlier direction of the Division Bench, the Estates Department has revealed the names of 53 persons, who are occupying the Government accommodation even when they have ceased to hold any constitutional or official position in the Government.
These persons, as per the status report of the Estates Department, are former Chief Minister of erstwhile State of J&K Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Member of Parliament of BJP Shamsher Singh Manhas, former MP of PDP Muzaffar Hussain Beig, former Mayor Jammu Municipal Corporation Chander Mohan Gupta and former Minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta.
Former Minister and BJP leader Sunil Sharma, BJP J&K UT president Ravinder Raina, former MLA G M Saroori, former MLA Neelam Langeh, former MLA Daleep Singh Parihar, former MLA Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, former Minister Bali Bhagat, former Minister Sat Sharma, former MLA R S Pathania, former Minister Imran Raja Ansari, former MLC Ravinder Sharma, former MLC Vibodh Gupta, former MLC Pardeep Sharma, political person Tariq Ahmed Keen, political person Wazira Begum, political person Shilpi Verma and Chairman Panchayat Conference Shafiq Mir are among other unauthorized occupants of the Government accommodation.
Among the unauthorized occupants of Government accommodation in Srinagar are former legislators Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, Sajad Gani Lone, M Y Tarigami, Abdul Rahim Rather, Sofi Yousaf, Ab Majid Padder, Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, Nizam-u-Din Bhat, Fayaz Ahmed Mir (ex-MP), former MLA Abdul Gani Vakil, Surinder Ambardar, political person Sonaullah Lone, Zahid Hussain Jan, S S Channi, former MLA Raja Manzoor, political person Muzaffar Shah, former MLA Bashir Ahmed Dar, former MLC Vikram Randhawa, former MLA Haji Abdul Rashid, former MLC Yasir Reshi, former MLA Abdul Rahim Rather, former MLA Mohd Amin Bhat, political person Reyaz Ahmed Mir, former MLA Shoaib Nabi Lone and former MLA Mohammad Abbas.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
