Any occupant overstaying in an accommodation provided during one’s tenure in public office is illegal besides unethical. It could safely be termed as totally unauthorised and thus unacceptable. May be such practices enjoyed some legitimacy in the past but day by day, such actions and conduct by those who fall in the category of such overstaying occupants, invite public indignation and outright rejection.
Now, even courts are taking a very serious view about such illegal overstaying in such public places by the erstwhile legal occupants by virtue of they having been in office. The recent order of the Supreme Court in respect of ex-UP Chief Ministers is an example in itself and must form the guidelines in such matters.
In our State, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Secretariat is all prepared to get the hostels evicted from the unauthorised occupants who include ex- Legislators, their relatives and other influential persons. In both the capital cities of the state, this action was going to be taken shortly. If there would be any type of resistance or instances of not obeying the directives; Deputy Commissioners of both the capital cities are to depute the law enforcement teams to take care of that and ensure evictions of the hostel accommodation who have so far failed to comply with the repeated reminders and requests from the Assembly Secretariat.
We welcome this step; rather it should have taken much earlier. However, the defaulters who unauthorised overstayed, may be charged rent as per market rates from the date they should have left the hostels till the date of eviction. It is reported that these unscrupulous occupants, in many cases, have been living there not for months and years but for decades. Sounds quite strange, as to how all such illegal things were ignored or stealthily legitimised. It would send better signals to prospective unauthorised occupants as well when full rentals are recovered from them.
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