FM's budget time 'wazwaan' for media: House rents hiked by 300%
Officials to pay ` 800, legislators ` 1600, journalists ` 3200 for equal accommodations
In an unprecedented move of the state high-handedness and brazen discrimination, Director of Estates has ordered an abrupt increase of 300% in the rents fixed for Government accommodations in Jammu and Kashmir Budget. According to a Government order implemented with effect from January 1st, 2012, employees of the State Government would have to pay ` 800 per month for a J-type quarter (Type-V), lawmakers would have to cough up ` 1600 and those not falling in the two 'privileged' categories---mostly mediapersons---would be charged a whopping ` 3200 for the same accommodations.
Government Order No: 19-Est of 2012 dated 12-01-2012, issued by Director of Estates, Khursheeed Ahmad Shah, with the concurrence of Department of Finance, makes it clear that the rule of equality has been dispensed with in the matter of hiking the rentals, arbitrarily, and discrimination has been employed as a tool to charge different rates from different species of the tenants. Sources close to Minister of Finance insist that the Government Order had been issued without the knowledge and sanction of Abdul Rahim Rather but officials at Directorate of Estates maintained that necessary concurrence had been duly obtained from custodian of the State exchequer.
"This is issued with the concurrence of the Finance Department vide their U.O, No: A/47 (2010)964 dated 15-11-2011", says the Order dated 12-01-2012. The Order captioned "License fee to be charged from the allot tees/occupants who are having Government accommodation" has divided the Government accommodations in seven different categories and the occupants in three separate categories. It has been issued "in super session of all the previous orders". None other than Chief Minister Omar Abdullah himself happens to be the Minister in charge of Estates in the Cabinet.
Some of the well-placed political sources in Civil Secretariat insisted that neither Chief Minister nor the Finance Minister had seen or sanctioned any proposal of making discrimination among equal occupants and hiking the rentals by as high as 300% in one go. "Both of them have duly approved it and the order has been issued only after their sanction", said a top ranking official in Department of Estates. He said that all the departments, including Estates, were "under tremendous pressure" from Ministry of Finance to mobilize revenue generation. However, when it was pointed out to the official that total number of media persons and newspapers occupying Government accommodation was less than 100 in Srinagar and Jammu and, as such, Government would be gaining not more than ` 25 lakh from this increase, he declined to comment.
A middle-rank bureaucrat in General Administration Department (GAD) admitted that the arbitrarily made increase was "without any logic, reason and rationale" and contrary to all rules and norms of a democratic polity. "Equality", he said "is the basic principal of the State's and the country's Constitution" and there was no room for discrimination. Insisting to go anonymous, he said that the revenue generated a year from the journalist occupants, less than 100 in number, would be equal to the aviation fuel burned in the State aircraft and helicopters in one week and far less than the money swindled every day from the Centre's two flagship schemes---NRHM and MGNREGA--- in J&K.
The GAD bureaucrat further revealed that "in broad daylight loot", almost all the State employees occupying Government premises were being paid House Rent Allowance (HRA) by Department of Finance even as they were not by law entitled to this allowance after becoming tenants of the Government accommodation. "Under rules, we have to charge nothing from the official tenants but also ensure that no HRA is paid to them", he said. According to him, more than 40,000 persons, engaged as daily wagers and casual labours after the blanket ban on such arrangement, were continuously getting their remuneration even after Finance Minister had issued instructions repeatedly to Chief Accounts Officers and Treasury Officers not to disburse such payments.
"Benefits of SRO-59 in Power Development Department have been categorically denied to Jammu division but given to employees in Kashmir division despite Chief Minister's personal orders to stop it and order an investigation as to how it was being paid", said the GAD official. According to him, State exchequer was suffering loss of ` 20 cr every month on account of this completely unjustified and banned payment. "Finance Minister owes an explanation and statement of facts to Assembly on SRO-59 disbursements to PDD field staff", he added and questioned the compulsion of hiking the rents of Government flats by 300%.
Journalists, who spoke to Excelsior, asserted that they would file a formal complaint before Chairman of Press Council of India against this arbitrarily made increase of 300% which, according to them, was a tool to pressure media to toe the Government's line. They pointed out that most of the journalists had been allotted and accommodated these protected premises on account of their threat perception and they were not staying in such houses by choice.
From January 1st, 2012, all the journalist occupants (who fall in "Other than category A and B) would have to pay ` 4000 a month for a Type-VI quarter plus ` 400 for furniture/ furnishing items. Rents of ` 2000 a month has been fixed for tenants of category 'B' [MLAs/MLCs] for the same accommodation. Occupants of category 'A' [Government employees] would have to pay just ` 1,000 per month for the same accommodation. Previously, the rates were uni formally charged from all tenants at ` 1500 a month.
Similarly, the rent of J-type quarters (Type-V) was uniform in Srinagar and Jammu at ` 400 a month until few years back. It was then doubled to ` 800 for all classes of tenants. Now it has been discriminated fixed at ` 2800 plus ` 400 (on account of furniture/furnishing] for journalists, ` 2000 plus 200 for MLAs/MLCs and ` 1000 plus 200 for Government employees.
Officials to pay ` 800, legislators ` 1600, journalists ` 3200 for equal accommodations
In an unprecedented move of the state high-handedness and brazen discrimination, Director of Estates has ordered an abrupt increase of 300% in the rents fixed for Government accommodations in Jammu and Kashmir Budget. According to a Government order implemented with effect from January 1st, 2012, employees of the State Government would have to pay ` 800 per month for a J-type quarter (Type-V), lawmakers would have to cough up ` 1600 and those not falling in the two 'privileged' categories---mostly mediapersons---would be charged a whopping ` 3200 for the same accommodations.
Government Order No: 19-Est of 2012 dated 12-01-2012, issued by Director of Estates, Khursheeed Ahmad Shah, with the concurrence of Department of Finance, makes it clear that the rule of equality has been dispensed with in the matter of hiking the rentals, arbitrarily, and discrimination has been employed as a tool to charge different rates from different species of the tenants. Sources close to Minister of Finance insist that the Government Order had been issued without the knowledge and sanction of Abdul Rahim Rather but officials at Directorate of Estates maintained that necessary concurrence had been duly obtained from custodian of the State exchequer.
"This is issued with the concurrence of the Finance Department vide their U.O, No: A/47 (2010)964 dated 15-11-2011", says the Order dated 12-01-2012. The Order captioned "License fee to be charged from the allot tees/occupants who are having Government accommodation" has divided the Government accommodations in seven different categories and the occupants in three separate categories. It has been issued "in super session of all the previous orders". None other than Chief Minister Omar Abdullah himself happens to be the Minister in charge of Estates in the Cabinet.
Some of the well-placed political sources in Civil Secretariat insisted that neither Chief Minister nor the Finance Minister had seen or sanctioned any proposal of making discrimination among equal occupants and hiking the rentals by as high as 300% in one go. "Both of them have duly approved it and the order has been issued only after their sanction", said a top ranking official in Department of Estates. He said that all the departments, including Estates, were "under tremendous pressure" from Ministry of Finance to mobilize revenue generation. However, when it was pointed out to the official that total number of media persons and newspapers occupying Government accommodation was less than 100 in Srinagar and Jammu and, as such, Government would be gaining not more than ` 25 lakh from this increase, he declined to comment.
A middle-rank bureaucrat in General Administration Department (GAD) admitted that the arbitrarily made increase was "without any logic, reason and rationale" and contrary to all rules and norms of a democratic polity. "Equality", he said "is the basic principal of the State's and the country's Constitution" and there was no room for discrimination. Insisting to go anonymous, he said that the revenue generated a year from the journalist occupants, less than 100 in number, would be equal to the aviation fuel burned in the State aircraft and helicopters in one week and far less than the money swindled every day from the Centre's two flagship schemes---NRHM and MGNREGA--- in J&K.
The GAD bureaucrat further revealed that "in broad daylight loot", almost all the State employees occupying Government premises were being paid House Rent Allowance (HRA) by Department of Finance even as they were not by law entitled to this allowance after becoming tenants of the Government accommodation. "Under rules, we have to charge nothing from the official tenants but also ensure that no HRA is paid to them", he said. According to him, more than 40,000 persons, engaged as daily wagers and casual labours after the blanket ban on such arrangement, were continuously getting their remuneration even after Finance Minister had issued instructions repeatedly to Chief Accounts Officers and Treasury Officers not to disburse such payments.
"Benefits of SRO-59 in Power Development Department have been categorically denied to Jammu division but given to employees in Kashmir division despite Chief Minister's personal orders to stop it and order an investigation as to how it was being paid", said the GAD official. According to him, State exchequer was suffering loss of ` 20 cr every month on account of this completely unjustified and banned payment. "Finance Minister owes an explanation and statement of facts to Assembly on SRO-59 disbursements to PDD field staff", he added and questioned the compulsion of hiking the rents of Government flats by 300%.
Journalists, who spoke to Excelsior, asserted that they would file a formal complaint before Chairman of Press Council of India against this arbitrarily made increase of 300% which, according to them, was a tool to pressure media to toe the Government's line. They pointed out that most of the journalists had been allotted and accommodated these protected premises on account of their threat perception and they were not staying in such houses by choice.
From January 1st, 2012, all the journalist occupants (who fall in "Other than category A and B) would have to pay ` 4000 a month for a Type-VI quarter plus ` 400 for furniture/ furnishing items. Rents of ` 2000 a month has been fixed for tenants of category 'B' [MLAs/MLCs] for the same accommodation. Occupants of category 'A' [Government employees] would have to pay just ` 1,000 per month for the same accommodation. Previously, the rates were uni formally charged from all tenants at ` 1500 a month.
Similarly, the rent of J-type quarters (Type-V) was uniform in Srinagar and Jammu at ` 400 a month until few years back. It was then doubled to ` 800 for all classes of tenants. Now it has been discriminated fixed at ` 2800 plus ` 400 (on account of furniture/furnishing] for journalists, ` 2000 plus 200 for MLAs/MLCs and ` 1000 plus 200 for Government employees.
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