SHAME PRESIDENT SHAME

Defence Land allotted to the President to have cool retired life violating all

norms

Whereas

1. Soldiers have no job security till 60 years of age like a civil employee. He

gets 2-3 times lesser salary and lesser pension than a civil employee.

2. Soldiers depended have no job assurance if a soldier dies while in service

like is a civil employee.

3. There is no justice in the country. It is more of harassment. It takes

decades to get judgments. Subedar Pan Singh Tomar became dacoit as

he had no job when he retired young and no justice as his land was

grabbed. A king has no right to be in power if he can’t grant justice. Such

system needs to be replaced or drastically reformed if possible.

SHAME PRESIDENT SHAME

Please read

Press Release 28 Feb 2012

Joint Press Conference Justice for Jawan, Indian Ex Servicemen Movement and

Mr AnupAwasthi (RTI Activist)

The agitation against allotment of Defence land to the Hon President ShrimatiPratibhataiPatil was

first launched by Justice for Jawan in Aug 2011.

Later Indian Ex Servicemen Movement and Mr AnupAwasthi also joined, Justice for Jawan, to take

up the issue. All three are working for the welfare of the Serving and Retired Defence personnel.

In the past we have carried out a country vide signature campaign and a memorandum demanding

that this land be handed over for welfare of veterans, with these signatures has been handed over to

Ms ArchanaDatta OSD in RashtrapatiBhavan.

As per letter from Ms ArchanaDatta the land is on lease and will remain the property of Defence

estates. It is now to be believed that one department gives land on lease to another? There was no

need for any lease of land, if available Government residence was to be allotted to a retired

President. Ms Datta statement that Land was given on lease does not clarify to whom it is given on

lease and what would be the duration of lease and its disposal after the present allotter or her

spouse expires.. No retired President is entitled to any land as per information based on references

given to our RTI query.

Later an RTI query was raised with the President’s Secretariat to provide information on the Rules

governing the allotment of Residential accommodation to past President.

The reply received by us gave us the link to Ministry of Home Affairs website where the rules were

available. From that link the authority under which the allotment is made is MINISTRY OF HOME

AFFAIRS NOTIFICATION New Delhi, G.S.R.No.1328 the 1st October, 1962 as amended from time to

time. The relevant extract of what is on the link is as follows:

(d) A retired President shall be entitled without payment of rent to the use of a furnished residence

anywhere in India at the choice of the retired President, without payment of water and electricity

charges for the remainder of his life;

(e) at places where Government owned accommodation is allotted to a retired President, the size of

the residence shall be comparable to a residence allotted to a Minister in the Union Council of

Ministers and if the highest type of Government residence available at a particular place is less in

size than a residence allotted to a Minister in the Union Council of Ministers, the highest type of

accommodation available at that place shall be allotted to the ex-President.(At present, a Minister is

entitled to a plinth area of the bungalow as 4498 sq.ft. In case the Minister is allotted a Type-VII or

below bungalow, additional construction to the extent of one bed room with attached toilet and

temporary open sheds for multi-purpose usages etc. with a ceiling of 500 sq.ft. Plinth area subject to

overall ceiling of 4498 sq.ft.may be provided with temporary specifications.

(Ref http://urbanindia.nic.in/what%27snew/lbz.htm)

At places where suitable Government residence is not available for allotment to a retired President,

the size of residence to be taken on lease to be provided to a retired President, shall have a living

area not exceeding 2000 square feet;

From the above it is clear that

1. President is only entitled to maximum of approx 4500 Sqft of Residence.

2. The accommodation has to be government and existing

3. If no Government accommodation is available same is to be hired and such hired

accommodation should not be bigger than 2000 Sqft

4. There is no provision of building new accommodation for this purpose however one may argue

for additional construction of one bedroom with a ceiling of 500 Sq feet with temporary

specifications.

5. There is no provision for allotment of land either for any new construction. Therefore the claim

of the OSD to President that the land is on lease will belong to the Defence estate is not sustainable

when the need for such lease of land itself is not correct neither justified.

6. There is no provision to provide additional residential area for any staff or security personnel in

the same premises.

7. The attached photographs indicate a much larger construction than the entitled plinth.

We question:

1. Why new construction, when there is adequate Government accommodation already available

in Pune as well as Pune and Khadki cantonments?

2. If no Government accommodation is available, why no leasing is being resorted to and why new

construction being undertaken?

3. Even if one concedes that new construction is required then why land far in excess of what is

required as per FSI for a 4500 Sqft(Approx) residential area is being allotted? No more than 4500

Sqft of land can be allotted (if at all) for an FSI of 1 or 9000 Sqft for FIS of 0.5

4. Why is defence land being asked for by her when she has stated that she does not want to be

the Chief Patron of an Ex Servicemen Organisation? The Presidents have been ex officio Chief Patron

of this organisation for the last 50+ years?

5. Why Defence land? When she has shown scant respect to veterans by repeatedly refusing to

meet them to listen to their legitimate demands and refused to come or was not permitted to come

in person accept medals being deposited with her in protest?

6. Why has the government not used such excess land in Cantonments to construct

accommodation for the serving personnel when they are being forced to live in slums and tin sheds,

after coming back from forward areas having served at High altitudes areas and in Siachen?

We want:

1. The present Defence land gifted to the President be returned to the Defence immediately.

2. All construction on the plot to be stopped.

3. The sanction for authorised residential accommodation for serving personnel (presently 4% of

authorised strength) to be increased to 50 % and new accommodation for serving and their families

to be built on such excess defence land.

4. The present land allotted to the President, be re allotted to a Veterans NGO to set up an Old age

home for Veterans or the Defence Ministry should built one and handover to an NGO to run it.

5. No victimisation of those who have given Video interviews or allowed photographs to be taken.

We appeal to the President to follow the rules in seeking accommodation for her as per current

regulations and set the precedent for the future generations.

Video of interviews with families of serving soldiers living in slums is available with us if you need it.

Photos are also available and we can email both to you.

thanx

anoop

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