Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he is voluntarily vacating the government accommodation provided to him 18 years ago. This is because of the change in rules of entitlement in the union territory.

Abdullah took to Twitter to announce his decision, in which he said he’ll vacate the accommodation in the high-security Gupkar area before the end of October. 

Former chief ministers in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State were entitled to government accommodation either in Jammu or Srinagar but this entitlement was withdrawn by the administration earlier this year.

“My letter to the J&K administration. I will be vacating my government accommodation in Srinagar before the end of October. The point to note is that contrary to stories planted in the media last year I received no notice to vacate & have chosen to do so of my own accord,” he wrote on Twitter.

The letter is dated July 31, 2020.

The accommodation was provided to him when he was the Member of Parliament from Srinagar and then the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, from 2005-2009. 

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The National Conference vice-president said he is searching for a suitable accommodation, which may take eight to 10 weeks in view of the constraints caused by the COVID pandemic.

“Consequent upon the change in entitlements for former CMs of J&K some months ago, I now find myself in an unauthorised occupation of this accommodation as no attempt has been made to regularise the allotment to me on security or any other grounds. This is a situation that is unacceptable to me,” he wrote in the letter.

Abdullah said he has never held on to any government property that he was not entitled to and “I have no intention to start now”.