Supreme Court directed eviction of former chief ministers from state bungalows within two months.
With Supreme Court directing eviction of former chief ministers from state bungalows within two months, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday introduced two bills to facilitate their continuation in government accommodation for life.
The Uttar Pradesh Ministers (salaries, allowances and miscellaneous provisions)(Amendment) Bill, 2016 provides for this facility to former chief ministers for life.
"A government residence shall be alloted to a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, at his/her request, for his/her lifetime, on payment of such rent as may be determined from time to time by the Estate Department of the state government," says the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill.
The bill was introduced after the apex court on August 1 directed six former UP chief ministers to vacate their official bungalows in Lucknow in two months and pay the rent at market rate for the period falling under unauthorised occupation.
The bill also revises salaries and allowances in view of price rise and escalation in cost of living.
It provides that the chief minister and ministers, minister of state with independent charge and minister of state will be entitled, throughout the term of their office, a salary of Rs 40,000 per month while the deputy minister will get a salary of Rs 35,000 per month.
The government also came up with another bill - The Allotment of Houses Under Control of the Estate Department Bill, 2016, - seeking to regulate the allotment of government houses under the control of the estate department to employees and officers of the state government, employees association, political parties, journalists, officers of All India Service, MLAs, MLCs, trusts, ministers, chairman and deputy chairman of Legislative Council, speaker and deputy speaker of Legislative Assembly and Justices.
The bill facilitates allotment of residences to "minister/ former chief minister defined under the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (salaries, allowances and miscellaneous provisions) Act 1981" and makes them eligible for allotment of type 6 and 7 houses.
It also states that the rent of the houses alloted under the provisions of this act shall be charged at market rate in case of trust and society, and in case of government officers/ political parties, former chief minister, employee association and journalist it shall be charged at such rate as may be prescribed.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)