Government quarters at BJB Nagar in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 27: The recent decision of the state government to impose penalty on its employees who had rented out quarters allotted to them has created flutters in the government residential colonies.

The government had announced that fine amounting to 20 times the rent of the house would be imposed on errant employees. Apart from this, they will not be eligible to apply for quarters for another 10 years.

“As numerous government employees are in queue to get quarters, we will strictly follow the decision to evict illegal occupants,” said chief secretary Bijay Patnaik.

Earlier, the allottes used to rent out their quarters to non-government employees and others to earn a good sum from the tenants. However, the fear of stern action has forced them to ask the tenants to vacate the quarters.

The impact has been felt prominently in New Government Colony near Sainik School. Locked doors are a common sight in the colony, meant for the lower income group (LIG) category.

“For the last five years I have been staying in this quarter. But after the government decision, my house owner has asked me to vacate the quarter,” said Sangram Keshari Patra, a student of Utkal University.

“We are thinking to return to our native place as rent in Bhubaneswar is quite expensive,” said Patitapaban Sahu, a private company employee, who lives with his family.

This decision, however, has brought a smile to the government employees staying in their own quarters. “The bachelors and the students were creating lots of problems. They used to return home late at night creating troubles for us,” said an employee requesting anonymity.

But question marks remain over maintenance of the quarters located on the periphery of the city. These will remain vacant since very few employees are interested in staying in these quarters. “My office is located in the heart of the city. If I stay in my quarter in New Government Colony, I would have to travel around 15km up and down daily,” said a government employee.