Punjab, Haryana ministers fail to pay ₹4.42 cr dues for UT houses: Audit

The director general of audit (Central), Chandigarh, has pointed out several discrepancies in the functioning of the rent control department of the UT administration. An audit conducted for years 2021 to 2023 revealed that a licence fee amount of ₹4.42 crore was pending in respect of houses occupied by the ministers or deputy ministers of Punjab and Haryana. Ministers/deputy ministers of Punjab government were supposed to pay ₹1.76 crore and an amount of ₹2.66 crore was pending against the ministers/deputy ministers of Haryana government, stated the audit report.

The office of the assistant controller (F and A) rents, which is located in Sector 9, is assigned with the work of collecting licence fee and maintaining the license fee account of government, residential accommodation allotted to the employees of Punjab and Haryana governments and the UT administration. Besides the collection and maintenance of license fee account of government buildings occupied by various departments and non-residential buildings, all such fee and dues are deposited in the government account in the UT treasury.

As per provisions of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966, licence fee, at the rate fixed from time to time, is recoverable in respect of houses allotted from the UT pool accommodation to the ministers of Punjab and Haryana states.

RTI activist RK Garg, who obtained the report under the RTI act, said the UT administration should manage this department seriously as per the rules and orders of the Central and UT administration.

During checking of the records, it was highlighted that houses/bungalows were allotted in different sectors of Chandigarh to ministers/deputy ministers of Punjab and Haryana states. It was also observed that licence fee and interest amounting to ₹4.42 crore were recoverable from these states up to March 31, 2023.

On being pointed out, the department said the matter is in active consideration and is being taken up with the governments of Punjab and Haryana regularly. Compliance will be intimated in due course.

Further, Chandigarh Allotment Rules 1966 inter-alia state that the government employee to whom the allotment has been made shall be liable to pay charges for the use and occupation of residence as per applicable rates of licence fee. It is the duty of office of the assistant controller (F&A) rents to watch the recovery of licence fee made as per applicable rates and to ensure that no excess or short recovery of licence fee has been made.

During the checking of records, it was observed that licence fee from 20 unauthorised occupants was outstanding as on March 31, 2023. This had resulted in the non-recovery of license fee amounting to ₹1.37 crore, including interest, from the unauthorised occupants.

The department replied that continuous efforts are being made to recover the amount.

During the checking of records for 2021 to 2023, the report noticed that licence free/rent had not been finalised with respect to the building rented out to Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Chandigarh.