Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Assembly and Finance Department are at loggerhead over giving rent to MLAs whose flats at Block Number One of the MLA Rest Houses is being razed for new construction.
The Assembly has sent a proposal seeking Rs 40,000 per month for each affected MLA, while the Finance Department is willing to provide only Rs 30,000 per month. The proposal has been with the government for several months, but no final decision has been taken so far.
An officer from the Parliamentary Affairs Department said the Assembly’s proposal covers at least 50 MLAs. While the Assembly suggests rent could be paid from budget funds, technically no existing head allows this. A separate budget head would need to be created to pay MLAs rent from the date they vacated their flats at the Government Rest House.
The file regarding rent has been moving through corridors of power since around September, yet remains unresolved. Principal Secretary (Assembly) Arvind Sharma confirmed that the Assembly has indeed sought Rs 40,000 per month for MLAs.
Since the proposal involves around 50 MLAs, Additional Chief Secretary Anupam Rajan sought clarification on the actual number and names of eligible MLAs. When contacted, Rajan said the cabinet would decide the final amount of rent to be given to MLAs. He said that the Assembly’s initial proposal requests Rs 40,000 per month per MLA.
