Thursday, May 12 2005 18:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Under pressure from the High Court, the Patna district administration today (May 12, 2005) swung into action to get vacated the Government quarters from illegal occupation of two high-profile brothers of former Chief Minister Rabri Devi and two Central Ministers but was able only to wangle a promise that the premises would be given up by them tomorrow (May 13, 2005).

In was only after initial tough posturing, that the two brothers of Rabri Devi promised to vacate the premises.

Nearly half a dozen officials of the building construction department led by a Magistrate with scores of policemen in tow, descended around noon on the Circular Road residence of Rabri's brother and Lok Sabha member from Gopalganj Aniruddh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav only to be told that no family member was present at the house and the MP himself was away in Delhi to attend Parliament session.

A caretaker brusquely told the officials in the presence of a battery of media persons that Sahib was not there and will talk to them when he comes back from Delhi.

It took the district administration team over two-and-a-half hours to persuade the caretaker and a few of Sadhu's men present at the house to let them in.

After remaining about 30 minutes at the sprawling premises, the Magistrate N K Pandey came out to tell the waiting reporters that he had spoken to the MP, who had agreed to vacate the bungalow.

The team then visited the residence of Union Minister of State for Water Resource Development Jaiprakash Narain Yadav on Strand Road, where the team saw a group of his men busy packing things.

After speaking to them, the Magistrate told media persons who were trailing the Patna administration team, that the bungalow would be vacated by tomorrow and that the Minister had conveyed it to the district Magistrate.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Akhilesh Prasad Singh's bungalow on Taylor Road was the last stop for the team where the marriage reception of a relative of an engineer friend of his is being held.

Singh's staff said that the bungalow will be vacated by tomorrow and the Minister had intimated this to the district Magistrate following which the team left.

The Patna High Court had about a couple of months ago ordered the district administration to get vacated Government quarters under illegal occupation of MPs, former MLAs and Ministers.

Governor Buta Singh, while speaking to reporters on May 10, had said that all MPs and other unauthorised occupants of Government bungalows would have to vacate them.

All MPs must vacate their bungalows or flats in Patna whether or not they have yet been given accommodation in Delhi.

They can stay at Bihar Niwas or a five-star hotel, the expenses for which will be borne by Parliament, he said without naming Sadhu Yadav, known for his penchant for courting controversies. Yadav had declared that he would vacate his bungalow only when a sprawling quarter was given to him in Delhi.