Kendrapara, April 29: The district administration has finally initiated action against 86 government employees who had skipped poll duty.

The errant government officials were served Non-bailable warrants (NBWs) on April 17. However, the administration was not keen to execute the warrants, alleged Opposition parties.

A row broke out when police did not execute the warrants on the plea of not receiving administrative order.

“The police have a list of offenders who had skipped poll duty. The list was received yesterday only. Cases have been registered on the charge of negligence of general election duty under Representation of the People Act,” said Kendrapara police chief Rabi Narayan Behera,

“We have received a list of 86 employees against whom the district election office has asked us to initiate legal proceedings. As per law, they will be arrested unless they have obtained bail from the court,” said a police official.

He said that the police would issue arrest warrants against them in a day or two.

While 52 truant employees are from Mahakalpada Assembly, the rest are from other Assembly segments.

Though 109 employees were found to have skipped poll duty, 23 of them were found out to be genuinely ill.

As they produced medical certificates to substantiate the serious nature of their illness, they were spared from legal action, said Kendrapara collector Nitin Bhanudas Jawale.

The alleged administrative inaction over the matter had triggered a debate with people arguing that authorities were lenient towards those holding office and tough with the common men.

“The dilly dallying over the execution of warrant has led us to believe that the administration is soft on the issue,” remarked Bharatiya Janata Party leader Debdas Mohanty.