LAHORE, Jan 7: The Punjab government has decided to buy 60 new cars at a cost of Rs72 million for ministers and administrative secretaries, official sources said here on Tuesday.

Governor Maqbool had bought 20 new cars of which 15 had been given to the new cabinet ministers.

According to official sources, the cars being used by the cabinet members and the administrative secretaries would be auctioned.

They said one new car cost Rs1.2 million. The finance department had already approved the purchase of 60 cars.

They said the Punjab was expected to get the delivery a bit late because other provinces too had placed orders with the manufacturing company in Karachi.

Meanwhile, 10 Punjab ministers had been given offices in the Civil Secretariat while the remaining 15 would sit in their respective departments elsewhere in the city.

Those allotted offices in the secretariat held the portfolios of food, agriculture, education, mines and mineral, co-operatives, health, literacy, livestock and dairy development, population welfare and finance.

The ministers of labour, communication and works, revenue, excise, irrigation and housing would sit in the head offices of their departments.

The transport minister would have his office in the Transport House, culture and youth affairs at Alhamra and sports at the National Hockey Stadium, adjacent to the Qadhafi Stadium.

There was no law and information minister and the chief minister himself was holding the portfolios of home and local government and rural development.