Lucknow, Jan. 8 -- Who would have thought that the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Civil Service Officers Association (UPPCSA), whose members constitute an integral part of the administrative machinery from the district level to the state secretariat, would face a housing problem?

But such a situation has indeed arisen for the state bureaucrats' body after the estate department issued a notice to the association, asking it to deposit Rs.38-crore rent dues and vacate the house allotted to it in Lucknow's Dalibagh locality. Ironically, the estate department is headed by senior PCS officers promoted to IAS rank. The notice is signed by a PCS officer.

Caught in a bind, the UPPCSA has decided to construct a guest house and association office in the...