Monday, May 16 2005 16:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Coming down heavily on 79 IAS and IPS officers who had not paid their power dues, Patna High Court today (May 16, 2005) directed that notices be served to them to pay up within 15 days.

The court gave the direction to the chief secretary to serve notices on the bureaucrats to pay up within 15 days, failing which their names should be published in newspapers and the money recovered from their salaries and retirement dues.

Building construction secretary Ajay Kumar Thakur told the court that all IAS and IPS officers retaining quarters in Patna had vacated them, but power dues of 79 were still pending.

The counsel of the Bihar State Electricity Board Mihir Kumar Jha suggested that new occupants of the quarters should obtain no dues certificate from their predecessor.

The court then asked the BCD secretary to do the needful.

The court directed the Government to get the Government quarters still under 'illegal' possession speedily vacated.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nagendra Rai and Justice S N Hussain gave the order on a PIL filed by the Patna Citizens' Forum seeking vacation of Government quarters under illegal occupation in the State capital.

The bench said that even if after publication of the names of the officials payment was not made by them, then the money should be deducted from their salaries and those who had retired from their pensions.