The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shamim Jahangir

A total 187 former parliament members are yet to hand over their NAM flats in spite of the expiry of the ultimatum issued to vacate the flats by March 31 by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.

Finding no other alternatives, the ministry concerned is going to file certificate cases against the MPs as they have not been paying their outstanding rents for using the flats since January this year.

Sources at the Ministry of Housing and Public Works told The New Nation yesterday that the certificates cases would be filed against the former lawmakers in accordance with the existing laws.

The former MPs have been occupying the 187, out of 324 luxury flats since the dissolving of the 8th Jatiya Sangsad in October 2006. The Housing and Public Works Ministry asked the former MPs to vacate the flats through two separate letters to the Jatiya Sangsad secretariat on March 19 and March 25 last.

However, Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar on Saturday wrote a letter to the Chief Adviser suggesting that it would necessary to hold a tripartite meeting among Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat, Housing Ministry and parliament members to resolve the ongoing crisis over the issue of vacating the allotted flats or following the advice of the court regarding the issue.

The Speaker, in his letter, also mentioned that "the Sangsad (Parliamentar) Secretariat is the sole authority of the NAM flats, not the Housing and Public Works Ministry."

"That is why it is not possible to vacate the flats allotted to the MPs according to the letters of the Housing and Public Works Ministry," he said, adding: "Only the parliamentary committee concerned is authorised to cancel the flats of the MPs."

Sircar further stated that the Housing and Public Works Ministry was not the legal authority to ask the MPs to vacate the flats.

"The Sangsad Secretariat earlier allocated a total of 187 flats of the former MPs belonging to Awami League, BNP and other political parties," the Speaker informed.

Besides, 137 flats allotted to the high officials of different ministries, Anti-Corruption Commission and Special Security Forces till the formation of the next Jatiya Sangsad, he said.

"It is not possible to vacate the flats before the gazette notification of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad," Sircar asserted.

He also advised the caretaker government to form a committee led by Law Adviser to resolve the issue of NAM flats.

The Housing and Public Housing Ministry re-fixed Tk 2,000 for 1200 square feet of flats and Tk 2,500 for 1800 square feet flats.

"After vacating the flats, any MP can apply for fresh allocation of the flats by attaching the receipts of previous payment of rents with the application forms to the Housing and Public Works Ministry," the ministry said its letter.

Since the former MPs have not vacated their flats and refrained from applying afresh showing the proofs of the payment of flat rents in accordance with the letters, the ministry concerned is now taking preparations to file certificate cases against them for not paying outstanding arrears under the Public Demand Recovery Act 1913, sources said.

On the other hand, a total of 50 former MPs led by former AL MP Shahajahan Khan have already announced that they would not vacate the flats through a press conference.

"Only the parliamentary secretariat can ask us to vacate the flats, because it is the sole authority to do so," they said.