Government to Impose 30x Fine for Not Vacating Official Residence After Retirement

In a major policy move, the Madhya Pradesh government, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, is set to approve a proposal to impose stricter penalties on government officials and employees who continue to occupy official residences after transfer or retirement.

The proposal, to be discussed in the Cabinet meeting on October 28, recommends a 30 times fine on the existing rent for those failing to vacate government quarters within the stipulated period of nine months after retirement. Additionally, a 30% surcharge will be levied on the penalty amount.

Currently, under existing rules, government officials or employees must vacate their official residence within three months of transfer or retirement. In case of non-compliance, a penalty equivalent to ten times the normal rent is charged. However, since the base rent of government housing is quite low, even the tenfold fine remains significantly lower than market rates.

This loophole has allowed many officials to retain government accommodation for long periods, causing inconvenience to newly appointed or transferred officers awaiting allotment. To address this issue, the government has prepared a strict amendment to the housing rent policy.

The amendment aims to ensure that officers vacate official residences promptly, preventing unauthorized occupation and ensuring fair allocation. The final approval for this proposal is expected during the upcoming Cabinet meeting.

In Bhopal alone, over a thousand applications for government housing are currently pending, while nearly the same number of officials continue to occupy residences even after transfers or retirement.