Patna, June 17: The Bihar State Housing Board has cancelled the allotment of plots at Aniket Co-operative Housing Society, home to several bureaucrats, past and present.

The decision was taken after the society failed to reply to the show-cause notices seeking explanation on alleged commercial use of residential premises.

In a notice served on the committee on June 15, the housing board stated that all deeds and contracts related to allotment of plots at the society have been cancelled in the light of the anomaly and in the absence of any reply to the earlier notices issued on April 24 and June 7.

“We have cancelled the allotment of plots at Aniket Co-operative Housing Society,” said Anupam Kumar Suman, managing director of the Bihar State Housing Board.

A copy of the notice procured by The Telegraph further states that the society committee had been instructed to assist division-2 of the housing board in re-acquiring the allotted plots.

The notice further states that since residential plots are utilised for commercial purposes, it also calls for payment against damage and penalty. Thus, under Section 59A of the Bihar State Housing Board Act, 1982, and Bihar and Orissa Public Demand Recovery Act, the committee is instructed to pay Rs 2,35,93,910 against damage of property and an equal amount as penalty. The entire amount is to be paid by the Aniket Co-operative Housing Society committee within 30 days.

The members of Aniket society committee, however, said they were being “targeted”.

“The housing board has allotted more than 500 plots at Srikrishna Nagar, hundreds more at Kankerbagh and throughout the state. The majority of such houses are being partly or completely used for commercial purposes for many years and no one has ever raised any objection. It is only these 22 plots which are being targeted. There should be identical treatment for all. Besides, there should be a clear definition of residential usage. I believe that the reason behind targeting only Aniket Housing Society is that many of the beneficiaries here are senior bureaucrats, even at the level of chief secretary,” said Ajay Kumar Thakur, a retired IAS officer and one of the residents of the society.

U.N. Panjiyar, chairman of Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission and another Aniket resident, said the rules were never enforced strictly in the past.

“However, now when there is strict enforcement, we would abide by the rules and remove the commercial establishments running in Aniket society,” he said.