BENGALURU: After almost eight years, the Assembly Secretariat has decided to increase the room rent at Legislators’ Home (LH) in the city -- by 100 percent. But legislators will still be paying a measly Rs 2,000 per month, way below the market prices for a property located in the central business district. The room rent at LH was last revised in 2009.
The current room rent is Rs 500 per month for sitting MLAs and MLCs. The guest rooms, which are for former MLAs and MLCs, are charged at Rs 1,000 per month, or at the rate of Rs 100 per day. Even after the increase, the rates will be Rs 1,000 per month for MLA/MLCs and Rs 2,000 for guest rooms per month (Rs 200 per day).
It’s not that the Legislators’ Home is lacking in any kind of facilities. Legislators and their hangers-on can make use of the Ayurvedic massage parlour, fully equipped gym, food courts serving north and south Indian foods, seminar hall to conduct press conference or other events at a nominal cost. And there’s hot water running 24 hours.
Present and former members of the Assembly and Council are eligible to get accommodation. While allotting rooms, preference is given to elected representatives from outside Bengaluru. There are instances where even ministers who were holding major portfolios got rooms at LH as they were not allotted designated official quarters.
Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri used to stay in LH when he was primary and secondary education minister and C T Ravi too used to stay there when he was higher education minister.
Assembly secretariat sources said, the hike in rent is to make up for maintenance cost which has increased. “There is no dearth of facilities at LH, starting from 24 hours hot water to cleaning service in three shifts. The maintenance cost has gone up. Considering this, we have decided to increase the rent,” the official explained.
The sources said the move may also help in curbing the entry of unauthorised persons into LH rooms. Under the existing system, rooms can be blocked in the name of any present or former elected representative and people known to them also stay there.
“There is a complaint that in many rooms, instead of the legislators, their associates are accommodated. We are thinking of introducing some measure to prevent unauthorised people from staying in there. We are not saying that the public should not enter LH. If there are issues, they can meet their leaders. But occupying a room in an MLA’s or MLC’s name is illegal,” the official explained. This will have to be placed before the House committee before implementation.
