Union Cabinet approves amendment of the Public Premises Act, 1971

The Union Cabinet on 17 May 2017 approved the amendment in Section 2 and Section 3 of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet gave its approval for the following amendments:

• Insertion of the definition of 'residential accommodation occupation' in a new clause in section 2 of the Act.

• Insertion of provisions relating to eviction from residential accommodation occupation in a new sub-section 3B below sub-section 3A of Section 3 of the Act.

Key Details

• The amendments would enable the Estate officer to apply summary proceedings for evicting unauthorised occupants from residential accommodations allotted to them for a fixed term or for a period they hold office.

• Non-vacation of such residences leads to unavailability of houses for those who assume the new office.

• Now, the Estate officer could make an order for the eviction of such persons immediately following the newly proposed procedures instead of adhering to the previous elaborate procedures.

• If the concerned people fail or refuse to comply with the said order of eviction, the Estate Officer may evict them from the premises and take possession, using force if required.

The amendment will thus smoothen and quicken the process of evicting unauthorised occupants from government residences and reduce the waiting period for the new incumbents.
The beneficiaries of the amendment include the Central government employees who are eligible for General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) and waiting for the maturity of their turn.