The Punjab Government employees, including officers, who occupy Government accommodations, have been directed to properly maintain green areas, failing which punitive action will be taken against them.

Exhaustive directions have been issued to all the officials or officers enjoying Government accommodation to properly maintain gardens and green area adjoining their houses failing which they will be liable for punitive action by their respective Heads of the Departments (HODs), said an official spokesperson on Sunday.

A place where the garden attached to Government residential buildings has been laid out, and hedges, trees, shrubs and vegetation of a lasting character have been planted, the Government like any other landlord was entitled to see that these amenities were properly maintained, he said.

Tenants of Government residences would be required for the proper upkeep of the grounds as a condition of their tenancy.

In case of default, the Head of the Department was empowered to call upon the occupant for proper upkeep and, if necessary, was authorised to charge expenditure in this connection from the tenant as an addition to the rent.

Spokesperson said that all trees, whether planted by tenant or not, in the compound of government residence, are the property of the Government.

No standing trees should be felled or fallen trees be appropriated by the tenant for any use whatever, without the sanction of the competent authority.

Divulging more information, the spokesperson said that the share of responsibilities between in-going and out-going incumbents for any expenditure incurred in compliance with the above orders would be determined according to the circumstances and the Head of the Department being arbiter in the case of a dispute, he said.

Spokesperson said that the tenant of a Government residential building is entitled to the value of the fruit, flowers, and vegetables, crops sown or raised by him and which may be disposed of by him during the actual period of his tenancy.

He said that a tenant will not be entitled to hire out or lease any portion of his compound for the growing crops, though there was no objection to his employing outside agency to cultivate the area and realising the value of produce so raised during his tenancy.

Any advance sale of immature crops or other produce was prohibited, he made it clear adding that any adjustment of value of uncut or immature crops or produce was a matter for mutual agreement between the out-going and in-going tenants.

“Where a residence and an office are situated in the same compound a reasonable area, subject to a maximum of 1.2 hectares would be fixed and demarcated under the orders of the Head of the Department as attached to the residence, the rest area being considered attached to the office,” he said.

Clarifying further, he said that in the case of a compound containing residential quarters only, the whole area of compound would be considered as attached to the residence. He said that the tenants, however, would be required to be maintained properly an area up to and not exceeding 1.2 hectares only in accordance with the rules.