HYDERABAD, Feb 24: Perhaps for the first time in the province, police paid compensation for the private vehicles during elections and distributed an amount of Rs1.5 million among transporters at a simple ceremony here in police ground on Sunday.

PPO Ali Azhar Farooqui had said on Feb 17 that the government had already released payment for providing food to on-duty policemen and disbursement among transporters for use of their vehicles in election duty.

DPO Imran Shaukat distributed away cheques among the transporters and members of auxiliary force for two days of duty. A total of 375 vehicles were obtained by police for election duty and 930 youths were inducted into auxiliary force for two days.

An amount of Rs1.5 million was paid for 375 vehicles while Rs0.5 million was paid among 1,245 youths for their duty at the rate of Rs200 per day.

DPO admitted that transporters had extended full cooperation and handed over their vehicles voluntarily. “Police didn’t seize vehicles the way it normally used to in such circumstances,” said the DPO.

The office-bearers of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including its president Yaqoob Memon had arranged meetings between police and transporters before elections and persuaded them to hand over their vehicles voluntarily.

Each driver was paid Rs150 per day while Rs2,500, Rs2,000, Rs1,500, Rs400 and Rs1,000 each were paid for each bus, coaster, van, Suzuki and Datsun, respectively.