Eminent artists who were allotted government accommodation in Delhi over the past four decades have been asked to vacate the houses by December 31, but the “damage charges” that they had racked up for overstaying have been waived by the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, according to officials.
A total of 27 artists, including painter Jatin Das, Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj and Santoor player Pt. Bhajan Sopori, had accumulated ₹32.09 crore in damage charges from 2014, when their allotment period had ended, till September 30 this year, according to government sources. Out of those, six artists or their family members after their death have vacated the houses since then, with the latest being Kuchipudi dancer Raja Reddy, who vacated his Kaka Nagar residence in August this year.
At a meeting on November 8, the CCA decided to regularise the allotments that had ceased to have its approval in 2014, government officials said. With that decision, the damage charges that had accumulated would no longer be charged. However, the licence fee that would amount to around ₹2 crore would still be collected and the 21 artists would be asked to leave by December 31.
Speaking about the decision taken on the Culture Ministry’s proposal, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said the artists would be asked to vacate by December 31 or pay market rent. The licence fee charged by the Directorate of Estates is far lower than the market rate. Mr. Patel said the criteria for selection would be revisited once the houses are vacated.
Under the artists quota for the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA), houses are allotted on the recommendation of the Union Culture Ministry to a maximum of 40 artists. According to the guidelines, artists must be between 40 and 60 years of age and earn up to ₹20,000 a month.
Among those allotted houses are Mr. Das, who has been staying at the Asian Games Village residence allotted to him since 1988, and Pt. Birju Maharaj, who was allotted a house on Shahjahan Road in 1978. The family members of late artists Gulam Sadiq Khan, Sabari Khan and Asad Ali Khan continue to occupy the homes allotted to them in the Asian Games Village, according to sources. In the case of Asad Ali Khan, the allotment was cancelled in 2017 but the matter is in court.
