Senior Haryana politicians default on housing loans

Avail housing loan from Vidhan Sabha, default on payment and keep mum seems to be the collective chant of Haryana's politicians. Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by The Indian Express shows that 43 politicians, including Congress Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh, state Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana, present and former ministers as well as MPs and MLAs, have defaulted on such payments. All of them have taken housing advance after 2000 and their defaulting amount range between Rs 50,000 to Rs 7 lakh.

In his last affidavit to the Election Commission, Singh had declared to have Rs 1,60,750 in cash, Rs 22,88,087 in bank deposits and gold worth Rs 12,86,00.

Besides, he also had Rs 1,15,800 in cash and deposits worth Rs 14,80,013 in his wife's name. Similarly, Mullana had declared Rs 40,000 cash, deposits worth Rs 8,18,956 and nearly the same amount in the name of his wife in bank deposits. But both failed to clear their pending loans of Rs 2,08,065 and Rs 2,20,055 respectively despite numerous reminders.

Vidhan Sabha authorities preferred to maintain strict silence on the issue after The Indian Express obtained the list under RTI.

Singh, a known Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda detractor, took housing advance from the Vidhan Sabha for his house in Dumerkha Kalan, Narwana in Jind district. He still owes the Assembly Rs 2,08,065 and despite the authorities writing to him in January 2010, there was no response from his side. Mullana, on the other hand, took advance for his house at Barara in Ambala district and defaulted on paying Rs 2,20,055. He was reminded of his pending liability on many occasions — April 30, 2008, December 12, 2009, March 31, 2010 and October 13, 2010 — but to no avail.

Sushil Indora, former MP and MLA who joined the Congress after dumping Indian National Lok Dal, obtained a housing loan and defaulted on returning Rs 2,22,330. This despite four reminders -- April 9, 2008, March 26, 2009, April 12, 2010 and October 15, 2010. Fourteen former MLAs took housing advance to purchase flats in the Haryana Janpratinidhi Cooperative Group Housing Society at Sector 28 in Gurgaon and their outstanding ranged between Rs 1,82,361 and Rs 6,88,870. They included Bahadur Singh, Puran Singh Dabra, Subhash Chand Goyal, Ram Kumar Saini, Lila Ram, Dharam Pal nilikheri, Ranbir Mandola, Padam Singh Dahiya, Hamid Hussain, Ramesh Rana, Bhag Singh, Tejvir Singh Jasbir Mallaur and Gopi Chand Gehlot.

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