Submit details of houses you own in Jammu or Srinagar: UT admn

The matter with regard to these people having an alternative accommodation at Jammu, or in Srinagar, needs to be confirmed/verified by them, for which the Estates Department has written to all of them, the report said, adding that the department needs reasonable time to obtain the details.

Meanwhile, counsel for the petitioner, advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, also furnished in court details of alternate accommodations of all 48 politicians. As per his list, Azad had an alternate accommodation at Hyderpora in Srinagar.

Govt list to court

A list comprising names of 48 politicians who were allotted government accommodation in Jammu or in Srinagar was furnished by the government on March 28 this year, following court’s directions in a PIL seeking eviction of ex-legislators from ministerial bungalows still occupied by them.

The court had on September 13 directed Ahmed to furnish a list of people mentioned in the list who had alternate accommodation at Jammu or in Srinagar. The directions followed Sheikh Shakeel drawing the court’s attention toward the Estates Department being selective in evicting ex-legislators from government accommodation, and allowing 48 others including politicians continue occupying it under provisions of 5 per cent discretionary quota in terms of Regulation 4 of the J&K Estates Department.

Illegal occupation

He, however, referred to Regulation 5 which debars allotment of government accommodation to persons who own or possess a house in the city concerned, whether in proprietorship or lease or otherwise, whether by themselves or through their spouses, sons, unmarried daughters or parents.

Advocate Ahmed had informed the Division Bench that most of the 48 politicians have palatial bungalows in Jammu/Srinagar cities and were not eligible for government accommodation under discretionary quota.