Patna,(BiharTimes): The Union urban development ministry on Thursday justified its move to reverse the cabinet decision of the year 2000––which disallowed setting up of memorials in government’s bungalows––on the plea that Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation was allowed to come up in unutilized bungalow. The cabinet decision was taken when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power.

The bungalow at 6, Krishna Menon Marg in Delhi has been allotted to Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation for at least another 25 years––from August 2, 2013 till July 1, 2038.

Babu Jagjivan Ram is the father of Speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, and was the former deputy prime minister of the country.

According to the website of the Directorate of Estates e-Awas the 6, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow was allotted by the DoE to Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation on August 2, 2013.

The last official occupant of the bungalow––where Babu Jagjivan Ram lived for long till he died in 1986––was Meira Kumar after she became Union minister in the UPA-1 government between 2004 and 2009.

She became Lok Sabha Speaker in 2009 and moved to the Speaker’s residence at 20, Akbar Road. But she continued to occupy the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow, Reports said that allotments are made by DoE, under the urban development ministry.

Media reports from New Delhi said that between 2009 and 2013, DoE claimed there were no claimants for 6, Krishna Menon Marg.

However, CPWD records acquired by RTI activist S C Agrawal show that it was allotted to Meira Kumar, and a rent bill of Rs 1.98 crore was also sent to her. The government seems to have waived it, claiming it was sent under pressure of RTI.

Reports also said that on December 15, 2010, the Lok Sabha secretariat wrote to Agrawal, “Subhash Chandra Agrawal filed an RTI application dated 11.10.2010 which was received in this secretariat on 13.10.2010 and replied to by this secretariat on 10.11.2010.”

On May 26, 2013, Agrawal wrote, “This bungalow has been continuously under ‘authorized’ or ‘unauthorized occupation’ of family members of late Babu Jagjivan Ramji ever since he expired in the year 1986...

“Different departments of MoUD speak in different tones about occupant of this prime government property. CPWD responds this bungalow is under occupation of Meira Kumar while DoE for last more than a decade records this bungalow as ‘un-allotted’. Even a rent bill of Rs 1.98 crore issued in the name of Meira Kumar was immediately taken back as having been issued ‘under RTI pressure’.