By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 19 Dec: Taking cognisance of anguish that had gone viral over recent orders which allowed only certain leaders and officials to stay at the newly constructed Uttarakhand Niwas in New Delhi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed that the newly constructed guest house be also made available to the general public. Following reports in the media and social media in this respect, the CM expressed displeasure over the current government order limiting room reservations to high-level officers. He has instructed an immediate revision of this order to allow common citizens of Uttarakhand to access rooms based on availability. Additionally, he has directed a review of the rates.
It may be recalled that Uttarakhand Niwas, built at a cost of about Rs 120 crore in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi, has recently been in the news due to a restrictive government order issued under the signature of Government Estate Officer cum Additional Secretary Laxman Singh on 13 December. This order issued by the Uttarakhand Government Estates Department had permitted only officers up to the secretary level to stay at Uttarakhand Niwas.
CM Dhami had inaugurated the Uttarakhand Niwas on 6 November 2024. This building, which had taken several years to be constructed, reflects the culture, folk art, and architecture of the state. It had been touted by the government to serve as a symbol of Uttarakhand’s dignity in the national capital. During the inauguration, Dhami had emphasised that Uttarakhand Niwas would provide comfortable accommodation and showcase traditional dishes. However, soon, an order was issued which not only limited the eligibility to stay at Uttarakhand Niwas to only a certain category of persons and officials who can easily be categorised as VVIPs, it had also mentioned a rate list which showed a minimum rent of ordinary room at Rs 1,000 and up to Rs 4,500. The order caused widespread concern and attracted lot of criticism on social media. The criticism dwelt on the fact that the Uttarakhand Niwas was constructed with public funds but was allowing only VVIPs to stay. In the orders that had been issued on 13 December, even accredited journalists were not mentioned as eligible to stay at Uttarakhand Niwas. It is usual for the state guest houses owned by various state governments in Delhi to allow accredited journalists to stay at concessional rates. However, the Government Estate Department had issued the orders detailing the eligibility for staying at Uttarakhand Niwas, which included only high-level officers from various departments. There was no provision for the general public or even lower ranking government officials on official tours to stay at Uttarakhand Niwas. Once this issue became viral on social media, CM Dhami was prompted to direct an amendment to the order.
The revised order will now allow common people from Uttarakhand to access rooms at Uttarakhand Niwas based on availability. The Chief Minister also instructed the re-determination of rates to ensure fairness.
It may be recalled that the eligibility list previously issued by the State Property Department included Governor, Chief Minister, Speaker, Legislative Assembly/Ministers/Leader of Opposition, Chief Justice of High Court/Judges, MPs/MLAs. Former Chief Ministers, Advocate General, State Presidents of political parties, Chairmen of various constitutional commissions and Mayors of Municipal Corporations/District Panchayat Chairmen. Among the officials, only the Chief Secretary/Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretaries, Director General of Police/Additional Director General of Police/Inspector General of Police, Principal Chief Forest Conservator/Chief Forest Conservator were considered eligible to stay besides state level department heads, Chief Standing Counsel, and high-ranking state officers to stay at Uttarakhand Niwas during official tours and private visits (at higher rates).
