• CM Murad approves summary for purchase of four-by-fours
• Finance dept asked to release around Rs2bn for procurement
• PTI’s Haleem questions govt priorities

KARACHI: Amid tall claims of reducing government expenditure in the name of an austerity drive, the Sindh government has okayed the procurement of 138 luxurious double-cabin vehicles for its assistant commissioners posted across the province, it emerged on Wednesday.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that the services, general administration and coordination department wrote a letter to the finance department for release of around Rs2 billion funds for the procurement of 138 double cabin (4x4) vehicles for the assistant commissioner across the province.

They said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had approved the summary for the procurement of vehicles for ACs earlier this week before leaving for the United States on a week-long visit.

The approval for the hefty amount for the procurement of the vehicles came against the backdrop of the provincial government’s decision to not launch any new uplift project under the Annual Development Programme for the financial year 2024-25 due to financial constraints.

The section officer-budget of the services department had sent the copy of a summary approved by the Sindh chief minister to the finance department and stated that the CM had accorded “permission to procure 138 vehicles (4x4 Double Cabin) in respect of Assistant Commissioners from existing budgetary allocation”.

It said: “Finance Department, Government of Sindh, is therefore, requested to release entire withheld funds amounting to Rs1,991,892,000/= allocated under head of account SC2114(114)-Board of Revenue-A09501-Purchase of Transport by placing the same at the disposal of Senior Member, Board of Revenue, Sindh, to procure 138 vehicles (4x4 Double Cabin) in respect of Assistant Commissioners through centralised procurement mechanism in one go, during current financial year, 2024-25, as per rules/policy.”

‘Vehicles being purchased after 12 years’

Chief Minister House Spokesperson Rasheed Channa told Dawn that the funds for the purchase of vehicles for the assistant commissioners were allocated and approved in the provincial budget.

He said that the provincial government was purchasing vehicles for assistant commissioners, who were also revenue officers in the districts, after 12 years as the last procurement of vehicles was made in 2012.

“It is a necessary expenditure as vehicles are needed for official duties in the province, especially in the rural areas,” he told Dawn.

Meanwhile, the sources said that more expensive vehicles would be procured for the deputy commissioners across the province.

PTI slams decision

Meanwhile, provincial president of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Haleem Adil Sheikh in a message posted on social media platform ‘X’ condemned the provincial government’s decision to allocate a huge amount of Rs2 billion in the provincial budget for buying the expensive vehicles for ACs.

He said that hundreds of families were on the streets and crops were flooded due to the recent rains in the province. Instead of helping the people of the province, the Sindh government was taking “royal decisions”, he deplored.

He questioned whether it was necessary to provide vehicles to the assistant commissioners or to help the flood victims in the province.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024