ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police have exhausted their allocated fuel quota due to excess consumption, prompting a letter from the Central Police Office which warned that charges for such consumption would be recovered from the salaries of the respective officers.

According to the letter from the CPO issued on August 29, “It has been observed that vehicles of ICT police are consuming POL [fuel] over and above the authorised POL ceiling/allocated budget.” Additional fuel is being issued to the vehicles on requisition slips without prior intimation to the CPO, it added.

“Due to excess fuel consumption, the released budget (only 15pc of the annual allocation) under the relevant head of account has been exhausted and vehicles are becoming off-road/parked to MT sections,” the letter stated, adding that henceforth regular weekly reports on the prescribed format may be sent to CPO for perusal of the IGP.

The letter stated “…the IGP Islamabad has directed that no fuel will be used beyond the ceiling until approved by the DIG concerned; otherwise, recovery of the excess fuel used will be made from the salary of the officer.”

Letter from IGP office says allocated fuel quota exhausted, vehicles off the roads; spokesperson says ample fuel available

According to officials, the relevant officers, including the DIGs, have been directed to strictly comply with the directives issued in the letter. They added that the CPO asked the relevant office to submit regular weekly reports, comprising details of the vehicle registration number, type of vehicle, authorised monthly fuel ceiling, its consumption – first, second, third, and fourth weeks – along with the total monthly consumption. It also asked them to submit reports about the excess consumption of fuel with remarks.

The police officials claimed that the vehicles were parked in the transport department due to lack of fuel, affecting the patrolling in the crime hotspots and other areas. They alleged that the primary reason behind excess fuel consumption was the protocol duties of VVIPs and VIPs, adding that a number of official vehicles, including those allotted to officers, were being used by their families.

“Vehicles having green number plates are a common sight around educational institutions as they are being used to pick and drop officers’ children,” the officials said, adding the officers also used official vehicles for movement inside the Police Lines Headquarters.

Besides, some officers were allocated more than one vehicle for official and personal use, the officers said, adding such vehicles were getting fuel from the official fuel quota for the police.

In response to a Dawn query, the spokesperson while quoting DIG Headquarters Mustafa Tanveer rejected the claims of fuel shortage, saying every vehicle was getting its fuel quota and none of the vehicles were off roads due to this reason. The payment for the fuel has been released for the fuel used during the first quarter of the year, the spokesperson said, adding the budget for the second quarter would be released on Monday. He further quoted the DIG as saying that the letter in this regard was written to seek additional budget for fuel.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024