J&K admin asks Mehbooba Mufti to vacate official bungalow

Srinagar: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has been served a notice to vacate her official bungalow in the high-security Gupkar area here.
“The notice to evict from Fair View was served to me a few days ago. This has not come as a surprise and is along the expected lines,” the former chief minister was quoted as saying by PTI.
She said although the notice mentions that the bungalow is meant for the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, that is not the case.
“This place was allotted to my father (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) in December 2005, after he relinquished the chief minister’s office. So the grounds mentioned by the administration are not correct,” Mufti said.
Asked if she will challenge the notice in the court of law, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief said she will consult her legal team.
“I do not own a place where I can stay. So I have to consult my legal team before taking a decision,” she said.
Pertinently, the eviction served by the Estates department on Mufti reads: “Kindly find enclosed Notice No. DDES/SC/2022/2794 dated 15-10-2022, issued under sub-section 1 of section 4 of The Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Un-authorized Occupants) Act, 1988, read with amended Act, 2016.”
In the same notice, the Estates department said that the government was willing to provide Mehbooba Mufti an alternative accommodation.
“It is to be communicated to your goodself that should you require an alternative accommodation, the Government is willing to provide the same on your request, on security or any other ground(s),” added the notice.
Earlier this year, another former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah had vacated his official residence voluntarily in view of changes in the rules of entitlement.
Reportedly, former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has also been served a notice to vacate his official residence in Jammu.