The Punjab government is reportedly planning to purchase 79 new luxury vehicles for provincial ministers, parliamentary secretaries, and other senior officials at a cost of 61 crore, 24 lakh 75 thousand rupees.
According to Dawn News, the Ministry of External Affairs has requested the Punjab government to provide vehicles to 15 VVIPs, including bulletproof vehicles for 12 prime ministers, which will begin on October 15 in Islamabad. They are coming to attend the 2-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Additional Chief Secretary Punjab briefed the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development about the need for vehicles with plans to strengthen the transport pool of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) with luxury vehicles.
Senior S&GAD officials say that every new government in the province, including the caretaker government, had bought luxury vehicles for provincial ministers, parliamentary secretaries, judges and other senior officials. Can release funds with advance withdrawal authorization of Rs.75 lakhs.
The Additional Chief Secretary informed the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development that the Punjab government recently appointed 29 Parliamentary Secretaries under Section 3 of the Parliamentary Secretaries (Salary, Allowances and Perks) Ordinance, 2002 (LXXI of 2002). have been appointed and assigned departments to them.
Under the constitution, every Parliamentary Secretary has the right to use a sanctioned vehicle for both functionary and private purposes.
The fresh Chief Secretary informed the commission that the government had appointed 29 administrative registers in August, for whom the S&GAD was looking for luxury vehicles.
So far, the transport wing has provided several vehicles to 20 parliamentary secretaries from the transport pool of S&GAD; the ACS said the government needs to purchase nine more new official vehicles for the remaining parliamentary secretaries.
He also said that in view of the possibility of expansion in the provincial cabinet and parliamentary secretaries in the future, they also need 20 more vehicles as a reserve.
Considering the current law and order situation in the province, the government has requested 30 new Toyota Hilux single cabins (with special fibre hoods installed at the back), which are also necessary for the security of the provincial ministers.
The meeting was informed that the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16. The government of Pakistan expects 12 heads of government to attend the meeting.
The committee was told that the Ministry of External Affairs had procured 15 bulletproof or non-bulletproof VVIP vehicles (Mercedes Benz, BMW, Toyota Land Cruiser and Fortuner) from the Punjab government for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting during the first three weeks of October.
Currently, S&GAD is facing a shortage of vehicles and SUVs for protocol duties as well as VVIPs, especially during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Islamabad, for this purpose, 2 Toyota Fortuner and 15 Toyota Corolla Alts 1.6 vehicles can also be purchased, the Additional Chief Secretary told the Standing Committee that a total of 76 new vehicles need to be bought from the dealers of Indus Motor Company Limited in the transport pool of S&GAD.
This includes Rs 22.13 lakh 99 thousand for the purchase of 29 Toyota Corolla Alts X Grande 1.8 CVT Ones for Parliamentary Secretaries. For the purchase of 15 Toyota Corolla Alts X 1.6 CVT cars, S&GAD needs Rs 9.96 crore per car.
In order to fulfil the protocol duties at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, the government’s transport pool will have to purchase two Toyota Fortuner Sigma 2.8 litre T diesels at the cost of Rs 1 crore 80 lakh 93 thousand.
