Buzzbytes, Dec20:
In a recent revelation, an RTI query has unveiled that 49 former legislators from the 12th legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir procured departmental house building loans amounting to ₹5.6 crore at a nominal interest rate of 4%. Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad filed the RTI query that exposed the details.
The 12th legislative assembly’s dissolution occurred on June 19, 2018, subsequent to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) severing ties with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The response provided an “unintended extra detail,” as shared by Qazi Mushtaq Ahmad, the chief public information officer of the assembly secretariat. This extra information indicated that the loans, varying between ₹5 lakh and ₹20 lakh, witnessed delays in repayments by several legislators.
The loans were sanctioned to these 49 members across various years, including 1997, 2000, 2003, and so forth until 2018. The standard protocol mandates beneficiaries to clear the advance within five years through 60 monthly instalments. Shockingly, the records reveal that only Ali Mohammad Sagar and Zahoor Ahmad Mir managed to settle their ₹5 lakh advances.
Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad pointed out that some affluent politicians, including former chief ministers and deputy chief ministers, were among the beneficiaries. Contrarily, Manoj Kumar Pandita, the J&K legislative assembly secretary, indicated that most former legislators are repaying these loans through monthly pensions, managed by the accountant general’s office.
Interestingly, when questioned about previous governments that might have waived off such advances, Pandita claimed to be unaware. The legislative provisions for these loans date back to the 1960s, with specific rules outlined in 1988.
Amidst this, the Peoples Democratic Party emphasized that its president, Mehbooba Mufti, has settled her outstanding house building advance dues. Additionally, Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad continues to challenge the retention of ministerial accommodations by former legislators in the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh high court on behalf of his client, SK Bhalla.
