TS Govt builds quarters, but staff shun them

Jogipet: Government always insists that employees stay at their work places so that they are easily accessible to the people. It is also providing quarters for employees stay to avoid transportation charges.

But the objective is defeated in some areas. The residential complex for employees of Singur project is built in G+2 mode in two blocks at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. These two blocks can accommodate 24 families. The construction was completed three years ago and it was inaugurated by the then Irrigation Minister Harish Rao in December 2016. But till now, no single family has moved into the quarters.

When government provides residential facility to the employees, they are not entitled to house rent allowance. But, it is alleged that the government has been paying HRA to the employees, despite bearing the maintenance of quarters which lie unoccupied. When The Hans India contacted the DE about the incident, he evaded the answer.

On the other hand, the government quarters have become havens for anti-social elements. Local youth are using these buildings for playing cards and consuming alcohol. Some miscreants broke glass windows and destroyed toilets.

When contacted, Singur Project JE Mahipal Reddy said the buildings will be utilised for government activities. He said the quarters have remained unoccupied because all the employees are residing in surrounding villages. On payment of HRA to the employees, the JE said the allowance is paid to them as they are not residing in these quarters.

By Karanam Shivakumar