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Sunday, December 13, 1998

LS gets quotas back, with "conditions"

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE  
KOCHI, DEC 12: The Kerala High Court has lifted the stay imposed by it on the implementation of the Central Government decision to restore to Lok Sabha members the privilege of making out-of-turn allotments of LPG and telephone connections but laid down two guidelines.

These conditions are supplementary to the two guidelines issued by the Central Government. Additional Solicitor General C S Vaidyanadhan, who appeared for the Government, submitted that the connections from the MP's quota will be given only to those who reside within the constituency of the MP concerned. The latter will be required to give a statement/certificate in the voucher that the concerned individual is in urgent need of the connection.

Justice C S Rajan said these guidelines would go a long way towards minimising any arbitrariness or discrimination in the matter of allotment of these connections. However, in order to safeguard the interest of the general public, the court would lay down two more guidelines: (a) Gas and telephoneconnections under the quota must be given only to persons who are in the current waiting list. Those who have not already registered for the connection will not be entitled to get any out-of-turn allotment; (b) Gas connections must be given only for domestic purposes and such connections should not be used for any other purpose.

In order to ensure that these guidelines are strictly followed and enforced, either the Lok Sabha Speaker or the ministry concerned must publish the guidelines and the names of the persons to whom the connections are allotted.The names must be published either by the ministry or the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

It is also appropriate for the Speaker or the ministry to evolve a system by which any misuse of the provisions are dealt with and corrected. The directions were issued while disposing of a public interest writ petition filed by Varghese George of Thiruvananthapuram, challenging the decision to restore MP's quota of LPG and telephone connections and also to raise the quota from50 to 160 per year. According to the petitioner, allotment of LPG connections and telephone connections out of turn, overlooking the priority of those who have been waiting for years for such connections, was violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.

Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.


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