Azharuddin,Shatrughan want bigger homes

As per conventions,first-time MPs are allotted flats in the capital’s South Avenue,North Avenue and Meena Bagh localities. Type VIII bungalows (on New Delhi’s Akbar Road,for instance) are the most coveted addresses in town. While the Housing Committee has completed the task of allotting houses to all Lok Sabha MPs,it is not sure how to deal with requests for bigger houses—an issue that came up for discussion at the panel’s meeting a couple of days ago.

Azharuddin,who represents Moradabad in Lok Sabha,confirmed that he had requested the Housing Committee for a bigger house. Asked if that was in keeping with the Congress’s current thrust on austerity,the cricketer-turned-MP said: “What is the problem in requesting for a bigger house,if there does exist such a provision? What’s austerity got to do with that?” He,however,added that he would settle for the house allotted to him “if nothing came out of his request”.

Sinha,a first-time MP in Lok Sabha (representing Patna Sahib),has asked the Housing Committee for a Type VIII bungalow after being allotted a Type VII House. He said: “I have been a Cabinet minister in the past,and they (the Housing panel) cannot follow a policy of ‘you show me the man and I’ll show you the rule’ on allotment of houses,” suggesting that some MPs have managed to get bigger houses “due to their connections”.

Asked if requests for bigger houses by first-time MPs would be entertained,Aggarwal told The Sunday Express: “There’s no way that we would recommend bigger houses for them in violation of norms”.

This is not the only problem facing the Housing Committee,though. Among other issues,many former MPs have not moved out of their allotted bungalows. There have been numerous requests to the Housing Committee for “mutual exchange of houses amongst MPs” — another issue that was discussed in the Lok Sabha Housing Committee’s meeting a couple of days ago. The panel was also informed at the meeting that “close to one hundred flats/houses are being renovated before new MPs could move into them”.