New Delhi: The Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) has been granted permission to retain its offices at 5 Windsor Place — the government bungalow on Ashoka Road in Lutyens Delhi — till 31 July 2022.
President of the IWPC, Shobhna Jain, told ThePrint that the Corps can now remain at 5 Windsor Place till July “with legitimacy”.
The IWPC’s request for a three-month extension for the premises was approved by Deputy Director of Estates Hari M.P., who in a letter dated 4 May, had asked the IWPC to “find a suitable accommodation” and “vacate the aforesaid house on or before 31 July 2022”.
“I am directed to convey in principle approval of the Competent Authority for retention of Government Accommodation Bungalow No. 5, Windsor Place New Delhi to Indian Women’s Press Corps for a period upto 31st July 2022 on the prevailing terms and conditions,” the letter read.
IWPC President Shobhna Jain said the letter issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) official was not an “eviction notice”, adding that this is the “standard format of communication” with respect to matters related to government-owned premises.
“Look at the wordings of the letter, nowhere does it mention the word ‘eviction’. Our lease expired last year and since then we have been trying to get it extended. The government has just approved it till July. I don’t think we can call it an eviction notice,” Jain said.
“Even the last time in 2018 when I was the President, the government, while extending the lease, had given us the due date by which it should expire. This is the standard format of communication. We are in touch with the government and are hopeful that we can get it extended this time,” she added.
According to a report, a similar notice was issued to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia regarding its offices at Bungalow No. AB-19 on Mathura Road. However, Sanjay Massey, Manager of FCC South Asia, denied receiving any such communication from the ministry.
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Non-payment of dues
In August last year, representatives of the Indian Women’s Press Corps were summoned by the ministry over non-payment of dues amounting to Rs 30 lakh.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had informed the Rajya Sabha that IWPC’s lease for Bungalow No. 5, Windsor Place, was last approved on 6 January 2018 for a period of three years.
Since then, according to Jain, there was no formal communication between the ministry and the Corps about the status of IWPC’s lease.
“For 15 months, we had no written communication about what happens after our tenure expires. This communication [letter dated 4 May] has ensured that at least till July, we are here with legitimacy,” IWPC President Shobhna Jain told ThePrint Sunday.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had also mentioned in his written response to a starred question in the Upper House last August that the term of FCC South Asia’s lease for Bungalow No. AB-19, Mathura Road, ended on 6 January 2021.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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