In a move aimed at circumventing the Supreme Court order on eviction of former chief ministers from state bungalows within two months, UP  assembly on Tuesday  passed ``Allotment of Houses under Control of the Estate Department Bill 2016’’.  

The legislation allows the former chief ministers to occupy the accommodation for life. The bill also covers the bungalows allotted to the trusts, societies and government accommodation allotted to non officials and journalists.

The BJP member Suresh Khanna said the bill be referred to the select committee of the house and the committee be asked to file its reportwithin one month. He said the bill has been introduced by the state government in the wake of the Supreme Court directing the former chief ministers, trusts, and societies to vacate the government bungalows. He said it was highly likely that the bill itself may be challenged in the apex court.

 The BJP leader said the aims and objectives of the bills are vague and detailed explanation of each category of the persons and institutions eligible for the government accommodation be stated.

 Radha Mohan Agarwal also opposed the provisions of the bills. He said the in the MlA hostels all categories of the people including government and non officials are also allotted the accommodation.   He said status quo be maintained in case of allotment of the government flats to the political parties and the journalists. The bill provides for allotment of the government flats for two years to both the categories.

 Parliamentary affairs minister Azam Khan said the Samajwadi party government will take care of the interests of all categories of persons and institutions eligible for the government accommodation.  He said after the new law comes into force, the process of allotment to the trusts and societies will be more transparent and only eligible will get the government accommodation.

The apex court had, on August 1, directed six former chief ministers of  UP to vacate their official bungalows in lucknow in two months and pay the rent at market rate for the period falling under unauthorized occupation.

The affected ex-CMs were Union Home Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and Congress leaders ND Tiwari and Ram Naresh Yadav.

The SC in its order had clarified that ex-CMs could not be equated with former Presidents and Vice-Presidents who were allotted government accommodation for life or with the ex-Prime Ministers who were entitled to official bungalows for 10 years.

The judgement came on a plea filed by a UP-based NGO lok Prahari, which had sought a direction against allotment of government bungalows to ex-CMs and other “non-eligible” organisations.