New Delhi, Sept 01: The Delhi High Court today asked the MTNL, NDMC and ITDC to give details of arrears owed by VVIP politicians and political parties on account of phone, water, electricity and hotel bills. The direction came from a division bench of Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice A K Sikri on a PIL filed by Krishak Bharat in 1998 seeking direction to the state agencies to take immediate legal action for recovery of such dues running into crores of rupees.
The bench asked MTNL, NDMC and ITDC to file affidavits giving latest details of arrears owed by VVIP politicians and political parties and fixed September 10 for further hearing.
What prompted the court to issue this direction was MTNL counsel Dinesh Agnani submission that MTNL had written for recovery of the dues to the Lok Sabha secretariat, which expressed its inability to act in the matter.
According to Lok Sabha rules, the secretariat can deduct such dues from a member's salary and allowances, Agnani told the bench. Those who owed money to these agencies included 120 sitting MPs.
ITDC counsel H S Phoolka informed the court that various political parties and politicians owed Rs six lakh to it out of which Rs 3.65 lakh was to be recovered from Congress leader Srikant Jena followed by his fellow Partyman Buta Singh who owed Rs 50,000 to it. Indian Youth Congress owed Rs 1.53 lakh, he said.
NDMC is to recover approximately Rs 85 lakh of which a major part is to be paid by the Congress. Bureau Report