LAHORE: The Punjab government has plans to purchase 79 new luxury vehicles for provincial ministers, parliamentary secretaries as well as escorts for provincial ministers’ security and VVIP protocol duties. It will cost the government Rs612.475m.

The foreign affairs ministry had requested the Punjab government to provide it with 15 VVIP vehicles, including bulletproof cars, for deployment with the 12 prime ministers coming to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) scheduled to start on Oct 15 in Islamabad.

After this, the additional chief secretary (ACS) of Punjab briefed the Standing Committee of Cabinet on Finance & Development about the need for the vehicles with a plan to strengthen the Services and General Administration Department’s (S&GAD) transport pool with luxury vehicles.

The senior officials in the S&GAD say that every new government, including the caretaker government, in the province had purchased luxury vehicles for provincial ministers, parliamentary secretaries, judges and other senior functionaries and after the incumbent government’s approval, the finance department might release the funds along with permission for advance withdrawal of Rs612.475 million.

The ACS explained to the Standing Committee of Cabinet on Finance & Development that the Punjab government had recently appointed 29 parliamentary secretaries and assigned them departments under section 3 of the Parliamentary Secretaries (Salary, Allowances and Privileges) Ordinance, 2002 (LXXI of 2002) vide a notification issued on Aug 29.

The Ordinance entitles each parliamentary secretary to use one official car both for official and private purposes.

Vehicles to be used for ministers, bureaucrats and foreign dignitaries coming for SCO

The ACS apprised the committee that the government, in August, had appointed 29 parliamentary secretaries and the S&GAD was looking for luxury vehicles to provide to the parliamentary secretary.

So far, the transport wing has accommodated 20 parliamentary secretaries with as many vehicles from the transport pool of the S&GAD. The ACS stated that the government needed to purchase nine more new official vehicles for deployment with the remaining parliamentary secretaries.

He also stated that 20 more vehicles were also needed as reserve, envisaging an expansion in the provincial cabinet as well as parliamentary secretaries in the future.

Considering the prevailing law and order situation in the province, the government requested for 30 new Toyota Hilux single cabin 4x2 (with special fiber hood installed on the rear) also required to escort provincial ministers.

Furthermore, the meeting was told that the 23rd gathering of the council of heads of government (prime ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was scheduled to be held in Islamabad on 15-16 Oct. At the SCO, the Pakistan government is expecting 12 heads of government to attend the meeting.

The committee was told that the foreign affairs ministry had requested the Punjab government to provide 15 bulletproof/non-bullet proof VVIP vehicles (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota Land Cruiser & Fortuner etc) for the SCO meeting during the first three weeks of October.

“Presently, the S&GAD is facing shortage of vehicles and SUVs for protocol duties as well as deployment with VVIPs, especially during SCO meeting at Islamabad. For this purpose, two Toyota Fortuners and 15 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 vehicles might also be purchased,” the ACS told the standing committee and added that in total 76 new vehicles were required to be procured in the transport pool of the S&GAD from authorised dealers of Indus Motor Company Ltd as per quotations at the total cost of Rs612.475 million.

The cost includes Rs220.139 million to purchase 29 Toyota Corolla Altis X Grande 1.8 CVT-I for parliamentary secretaries at the cost of Rs7.591 million each. For the purchase of 15 Toyota Corolla Altis X 1.6 CVT cars, the S&GAD requires Rs99.615 million at the cost of Rs6.641 million per car for its transport pool to be used for protocol duties.

In order to perform protocol duties at SCO Summit, the government’s transport pool requires to purchase two Toyota Fortuner 4x4 Sigma 2.8l T-Diesel at the cost of Rs18.093 million each. Both vehicles will cost Rs36.186 million.

In order to escort the ministers, the government requires 30 Toyota Hilux 4x2 Single Cabin Pickup STD Model at a total cost of Rs209.04 million – Rs6.968 million each.

The government has also calculated the cost of installation of fibre hood on the rear side of 30 single cabin Toyota Hilux vehicles. The total cost of vehicles also includes Rs17.495 million rates and taxes of all 76 vehicles.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024