A Lok Sabha committee on Monday asked former parliamentarians to vacate their residences within a week. It added that the power, water and gas connections of the official bungalows would be snapped after three days, PTI reported.
The decision to disconnect the lines was taken in a meeting of the Lok Sabha Housing Committee, its chairperson CR Patil said. He also said that no politician had refused to vacate their bungalows.
Rules mandate that former MPs would have to vacate their official residence one month after the Lok Sabha is dissolved. President Ram Nath Kovind had dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha on May 25 on recommendation of the Union Cabinet after Modi was elected for a second term.
Over 200 official residences had not been vacated even after two months since the 16th Lok Sabha was dissolved, PTI quoted unidentified officials as saying. Due to unavailability of the bungalows, newly-elected MPs have, therefore, been forced to look for transit accommodation, including state guest houses, as the panel had been unable to provide accommodation for them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets, also spoke about the problem of accommodation for new MPs. “When a new session of Parliament begins, newer MPs face lot of trouble as far as finding accommodation is concerned,” Modi tweeted. “I am glad efforts have been made to overcome this problem. Being MP means people from the constituency come too and they too may need accommodation.” He further said that some of the buildings have undergone an upgrade in infrastructure.
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