Uttarakhand HC order for recovery of rent-dues from ex-CMs be adopted nationally through Supreme Court directive
It refers to welcome order of Uttarakhand High Court for recovery of rent-dues from all former Chief Ministers of the state where BS Koshyari tops the list with rupees 3.5 crores followed by since deceased ND Tiwari with rupees 3.4 crores.
It should be ensured that recovery may be made from legal heirs of ND Tiwari having benefitted through huge wealth left by ND Tiwari. Instead of involving time of different High Courts on such issues, Supreme Court should sue-motto take up the issue by implementing the welcome verdict for all states.
Many former parliamentarians including even former Prime Ministers, Ministers, and Opposition-leaders have been in defaulter-list for government-dues like water, telephone, electricity, air-travel and rent-dues for over-occupation of government-accommodations with many of such VVIP defaulters having died leaving huge wealth for their legal heirs.
Election Commission should not allow former and present Parliamentarians and state-legislators to contest any elections till they clear their pending dues and are not guilty of over-occupation of government-accommodations after losing entitlement. Concerned government-departments and civic-agencies should take stringent steps for recovery including from legal heirs of defaulters.
Even some former Prime Ministers are defaulters of Indian Air Force (IAF) dues for use of planes for unofficial purpose. Advance payment should be taken from Prime Ministers or their political parties for unofficial use of IAF planes. Election Commission should de-recognise parties where Prime Ministers belonging to their parties did not pay IAF dues. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats should deduct dues from pensions and salaries of former and present Parliamentarians.
It is indeed regretting that even rich Parliamentarians like Gani khan Chowdhary left record highest electricity-bill of rupees 42 lakhs unpaid before his death with notorious defaulter having been honoured when the then Prime Minister in presence of the then Chairperson of National Advisory Council laid foundation on 16.03.2013 for Gani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering & Technology (GKCIET) in Malda (West Bengal). This institute should be renamed if his legal heirs do not clear pending electricity bills in his name. In future, care should be taken that no honours may be made for defaulters of government-dues including municipal dues and un-entitled government-accommodations.
MADHU AGRAWAL
