Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was on Wednesday asked to vacate the government accommodation, allotted to her in 1997, within one month as the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry cancelled the allotment.
The Directorate of Estates under the Ministry wrote to the Congress general secretary informing her that the allotment of the Type 6B house at 35, Lodhi Estate had been cancelled as her Special Protection Group (SPG) cover that entitled her to such an accommodation had been withdrawn.
According to the HUA Ministry official, Ms. Gandhi Vadra had accumulated dues of ₹3,46,677 as on Tuesday and had been issued a notice to clear it the following evening. She made an online payment to clear the dues later on Wednesday evening, the official said.
While the SPG protection had been revoked in November last year , an official of the Ministry said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs informed it on Tuesday.
One month to vacate
“Consequent upon withdrawal of SPG protection and grant of Z+ security cover by Ministry of Home Affairs, which does not have provision for allotment/retention of Government accommodation on security grounds to you, the allotment of Type 6B house No. 35, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi is hereby cancelled w.e.f. 01/07/2020. One month concessional period on the same rent i.e. upto 01.08.2020 is allowed as per rules. (sic),” the Directorate of Estates wrote.
The letter said if the house was not vacated by August 1, “damage charges/penal rent” would be charged.
According to an HUA Ministry official, Ms. Gandhi Vadra had been allotted the accommodation on February 21, 1997 due to security concerns. Her SPG protection, along with her mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and brother, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, was revoked by the government in November after an amendment to the SPG Act.
The amendment restricted SPG cover to the Prime Minister and his family and former PMs and their kin for a period of five years after leaving office. The Congress president and Mr. Gandhi, being Lok Sabha MPs, are entitled to government accommodation, the official said.
