New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday (April 27) asked eight eminent artistes, who were allotted government accommodations years ago but which were cancelled in 2014, to vacate the facilities by May 2. The move came a day after eviction proceedings were conducted against 90-year-old Padma Shri awardee and Odissi dancer Guru Mayadhar Raut.
After the housing and urban affairs ministry issued notices to the artists to vacate the houses in 2020, a group of artists including the late Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj, Mohiniyattam dancer Bharati Shivaji, Kuchipudi dancer Guru V. Jayarama Rao, Mayadhar Raut, Dhrupad singer Ustad F Wasifuddin Dagar and Bharatanatyam dancer Rani Shinghal had moved court against the notice.
Mayadhar Raut’s daughter Madhumita Raut, an artist, told The Hindu that the artists had lost their case against the eviction on February 25 and had time till April 25 to vacate the houses at the Asian Games Village. An appeal has been filed in the Delhi high court.
“The Directorate of Estates knew our appeal was to be heard on Wednesday so they came with their staff and police to forcibly throw out our belongings on Tuesday. They came at 1 pm and I was serving lunch to my father. I appealed to them to allow my father to eat but they did not allow it,” she said, according to the newspaper.
Her father will now temporarily live with a student, she added. “I don’t mind if they evict, but the way in which it was done was inhumane. The houses were allotted to artists who work with the guru-shishya tradition and don’t care for commercial interests. Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to take care of Padma awardees?”
A senior Union housing and urban affairs ministry official said out of 28 artistes, there are still around eight who have not moved out of their government accommodations despite multiple notices.
“These eight artistes assured us that they are in the process of vacating their bungalows and sought some more days. They have given us an undertaking in written that they would vacate the facilities by May 2 and we have given them time till then,” the official told PTI.
On Guru Mayadhar Raut’s eviction, the official said a team of officials had been sent to his government bungalow for initiating eviction proceedings. Social media videos and pictures showed his household goods of kept outside the bungalow.
According to the government’s policy, up to 40 artistes can be allotted accommodation under a special quota in the General Pool Residential Accommodation on the recommendation of the culture ministry if they earned under Rs 20,000 a month.
Earlier this month, the Delhi high court had refused to grant more time to Indian classical artiste Rita Ganguly who had challenged a single judge’s decision directing her and others to vacate government allotted residences in the national capital by April-end.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Navin Chawla had said it would not grant even one more day and noted that the single judge was more than benevolent while granting her two months’ time.
The Centre had given a deadline of December 31, 2020, to vacate the premises but the notice was stayed by the high court after the petitions were filed.
Vanashree Rao, wife of Kuchipudi dancer Guru Jayarama Rao, who was allotted a house in 1987, said they are in the process of vacating the property. “We have started packing household goods. The government is not ready to listen to us. We will vacate the accommodation soon,” Rao told PTI on Wednesday.
(With PTI inputs)