KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Amid an impasse over the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, the estates department on Wednesday shot formal notices to the ministers of the former PDP-BJP government, asking them to vacate their government bungalows without further delay.
Sources within the government told KNS that a notice has been served to both cabinet and the ministers of the state of the former government and they have been asked to vacate their respective government accommodations. Such a development has come at a time when the speculations are ripe about the early government formation with possibilities of ending the tow month long impasse to end within days.
The ministers of the PDP- BJP coalition were yet to vacate their official bungalows despite governor’s rule imposed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir since the past two months.
Though these former ministers were entitled to reside in these official bungalows for a month and were supposed to vacate them within that period but not even a single one except that of the chief minister’s residence at Jammu was vacated by his family earlier.
The Directorate of Estates here has revealed that the former ministers of the BJP-PDP coalition were bound to vacate the official bungalows till February 7 this year.
According to the officials in the Estates Department, Ministers are required to vacate the official accommodation within a month of appointment of the new government. “A notice is served to the occupants. The occupant is required to vacate the property within 15 days of the notice being served,” said a senior official.
Sources said that the former ministers continued to use free water, electricity and others doles that used to be offered to them when they were in office.
As the governor’s rule was imposed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir after the demise of the chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7, this year, his family became the first one to vacate CM’s Jammu bungalow on January 28.
Reports said that amongst former ministers, PDP’s Sangrama lawmaker holding Law and Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, Basharat Bukhari, was the only one to vacate the residence on time.
