PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is likely to allow cabinet members, bureaucrats and others to use its helicopter with the chief minister’s consent besides increasing grant to furnish the official residences of the ministers.

The administration department has drafted two amendments to the KP Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act, 1975, for the purpose, sources told Dawn.

The sources said the first amendment to the law proposed to increase the house furnishing grant for ministers from Rs500,000 to Rs1.5 million per annum, while the other was about the permission for ministers and bureaucrats to use the government’s chopper after the chief minister’s approval.

Amendment to law also ready to increase grant for furnishing ministers’ houses

An amendment proposed to Section (8)(2) of the Act proposed increasing that grant from Rs0.5 million to Rs1.5 million.

Section 8(2) states: “the official residence of a Minister shall, subject to such conditions as may be imposed by Government from time to time, be maintained by Government and shall be furnished at a cost not exceeding [five hundred thousand] rupees. The term furniture will include carpets and curtains but will not include the cost of [two] air-conditioner and one refrigerator to which a minister is otherwise entitled.”

The other amendment proposes the creation of three new sub-sections to Section 7 of the Act, which entitles a minister to use the official car maintained at the government’s expense.

The proposed Section 7(1) of the Act says: “the chief minister can use aero plane or the helicopter of the government, while 7(ii) says that the chief minister may requisition at the cost of the government aeroplane or the helicopter of the Pakistan Air Force or the federal government.”

Sub-section 7(iii) of the law says the chief minister can allow a minister, a public servant or any other person authorised by the chief minister to use the government’s helicopter.

Sources said the administration department, which dealt with the cabinet-related matters, had made the draft amendments to the law, which would be presented before the cabinet after vetting by the law department.

A source told Dawn that the home furnishing costs were being increased as minister of the previous PTI government Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli had complained about the minister home furnishing expanses surpassing the permissible limit.

An official questioned the rationale for the move at a time when the country’s economic situation is bad.

He said the law covered the travels for ministers by rail, plane and road and that there was no need for new provisions in it.

The official said following the fresh amendments to the law, the provincial government’s helicopter could be used by anyone allowed by the chief minister and therefore, the cost the cash-strapped province dearly.

He said ironically, the proposed amendments didn’t carry any justification for the move, which gave ministers and bureaucrats a blanket permission to use the government’s copter.

Currently, the National Accountability Bureau is investigating the alleged misuse of KP government’s helicopter by Prime Minister Imran Khan during the PTI’s first government in the province.

Spokesman for the government Shaukat Yousafzai was not available for comments. However, administration secretary Imtiaz Ayub denied amendments to the KP Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act, and said only house furnishing grant for the ministers was being increased from Rs0.5 million to Rs1 million.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2018