JNU tells canteen and dhabha owners to vacate, sends them huge bills
The administration claimed that the shops were allocated "without following due tender procedure". Dues to be cleared include outstanding rent, water and electricity charges against the said space up to the date of the vacation.
FollowAdministrators of the Jawaharlal Nehru University have asked owners of several canteens and dhabas at the campus to vacate the varsity premises by June 30 after clearing their dues amounting to lakhs of rupees. The administration claimed that the shops were allocated "without following due tender procedure".
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JNU's Joint Registrar (Estate) M K Pachauri had on June 22 shot off a notice to several canteen owners and directed them to clear all outstanding dues within seven days. Notices have reportedly been served to at least 10 canteens/dhabas/Xerox shops on the JNU campus.
Dues to be cleared include outstanding rent, water and electricity charges against the said space up to the date of the vacation. Taken aback by the sudden order, shop owners are wary of losing their livelihoods. Many say they are struggling to arrange the money to pay the dues.
The notice said that if the shop owner failed to comply with the notice university, the person will be liable for eviction proceedings as per the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.
When contacted, the JNU administration clarified that the notices were served only to those shop owners who had not paid rent and electricity bills for a long time and those who were not allocated spaces with due procedure.
They further clarified that a similar notice had been served in May 2019 seeking a response on why eviction proceedings should not be initiated against the erring shop owners.
'How can we pay Rs 10 lakh in one go?'
The latest varsity notice is making shop owners, some of whom come from a poor economic background, panic. A canteen owner, who received the notice, said the university administration is demanding Rs 10 lakh as outstanding rent and electricity bills.
"I come from a poor economic background. I and my brother are the only earning members and our livelihood is dependent on this canteen. How can I pay Rs 10 lakh? They should have demanded monthly or annual dues. How can we pay Rs 10 lakh in one go? Even if we pay, there is no guarantee they will let us stay," said the canteen owner, who did not wish to be named.
Another shop owner, who has been operating a pantry on the campus since 2016, said he has sent an outstanding bill of over Rs 20 lakh.
"The notice says I have to pay this bill (of Rs 20 lakh) and vacate the premises. They had also earlier served notices, but we had requested them for compensation as we only serve 'samosas' (snacks) and tea. But there was no reply from the administration. Now, we have been provided with this notice," he said.
"I am unable to pay my workers for a year and the pantry is not doing well, but it is my only source of income. Instead of helping us, the administration is putting this burden on us," he added.
Left sees red
The left-affiliated AISA has strongly opposed the university notices claiming that the administration was planning to bring big multinational companies to serve on the campus by making these canteen owners vacate the premises.
AISA national president N Sai Balaji said that prior to 2014, there was no policy for allocating shops. "These people (owners) were interviewed and the shops were allocated to them. The university framed a policy after 2014. And is now asking these people to pay in lakhs and suffer eviction," he claimed.
With PTI inputs
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