“There will be no penalty imposed on civil servants leaving government quarters in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya,” Chief Secretary to the Government, Ali Hamsa told FMT.

This followed his meeting with Cuepacs today, which was also attended by six civil servants who received the penalty notice.

It was reported that some 500 civil servants in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were penalised for either moving out or changing their workplace to beyond 25km radius from their present quarters.

They claimed to have received notices from the Property Management Division (BPH) of the Prime Minister’s Department, which manages government quarters.

One of them, Mohd Fazly Mohd Noor said he was told to pay RM38,000 after he was promoted to a cadet officer and transferred from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur to the Department of Civil Aviation in Putrajaya.

He was informed that the amount was based on the market rental rate from the date he started work.

Fazly said he was not aware that the department considered Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as separate states, which meant he could no longer live in the government quarters.

Ali said when civil servants move into government quarters, their housing allowance is deducted.

“This morning, I met with Cuepacs and made a decision. We do not impose the penalty because their salary is deducted based on the normal rate,” he added.