As criticism over eviction mounts, Centre says government accommodation for artistes subject to conditions

Guru Mayadhar Raut. Pic/Official Website

Amid criticism over eviction proceedings against eminent artistes, the Centre said they had been given government accommodation for three years subject to certain conditions, including a review after the time period.

The Directorate of Estates said it has asked artistes, who have not moved out of the government accommodation yet, to vacate by May 2, failing which eviction proceedings would resume. It said there were 27 such allotments, out of which 15 artistes had already vacated.

"The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had issued guidelines dated October 24, 1985, for allotment of the government accommodations under eminent artistes' category on the basis of a decision taken by Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA) on September 12, 1985, subject to certain conditions, including that 'duration of allotment would be three years and cases of allotment to be reviewed once in a three years'," a statement by the government said on Thursday. Since then, allotments are being made to them and the CCA allowed their retention up to July 31, 2014, it said.

"Thereafter, CCA regularised their unauthorised occupation period from August 1, 2014, to September 30, 2020, and further three months' retention was granted up to December 31 for making alternative arrangement," the ministry added. However, it said the artistes filed a petition in the Delhi High Court last year.
The court had on February 25 this year dismissed the application and gave them two months' grace period to vacate their accommodation. The ministry said as this grace period completed, the Directorate of Estates started the eviction proceedings on April 25.

"However, the artistes filed a writ petition before the high court, but it was dismissed on April 22 with a cost of Rs 50,000. A subsequent petition was filed yet again before the high court but that, too, dismissed on April 27 with a cost of Rs 25,000," the ministry clarified.

The Directorate of Estates under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Wednesday evicted 90-year-old Padma Shri awardee and Odissi dancer Guru Mayadhar Raut. Madhurima, his daughter, said her father was having lunch at his government-allotted bungalow when a team of officials came knocking on his door to evict him.

She claimed that the nonagenarian was apparently not even allowed 10 minutes to finish his meal and was "pushed out" of the Asian Games Village accommodation here.

According to the government's policy, up to 40 artistes can be allotted accommodation under a special quota in the General Pool Residential Accommodation on the recommendation of the Ministry of Culture, if they earned under Rs 20,000 a month.

As part of its drive against "illegal occupants", the Directorate of Estates had evicted Lok Sabha member Chirag Paswan from the 12, Janpath bungalow, which had been allotted to his late father Ramvilas Paswan. Several BJP MPs, who had been allotted bungalows when they were ministers, also had to vacate the government facilities.

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