Misuse of official vehicles: Cabinet Division seeks PAC help

The Cabinet Division has sought Public Accounts Committee (PAC) help to prevent continuous misuse of general duty vehicles even after monetization of transport policy, it is learnt. Sources said Secretary Cabinet Division, Nargis Sethi and her team made the request to the PAC during a recent briefing on monetization of transport policy and admitted various problems in its implementation.
The official who gave briefing wanted directives from the PAC to each ministry and division to furnish compliance report on quarterly basis on the implementation status of the policy, which none of them had submitted during the first six months despite the fact it was clearly mentioned in the policy. The submission of compliance report by each ministry and division is considered critical to ensure that monetization policy is being implemented in letter and spirit by keeping maintenance expenditure of general duty vehicles to the bare minimum level as well as to avoid their misuse.
Sources said that basic objective of the monetization of transport policy framed on the recommendations of the Finance Division has been to eliminate massive misuse of the official vehicles by the bureaucracy. Grade 20 and above officials under the policy have purchased their allotted official vehicles from the government at much lower than market price and are getting monthly car monetization allowance ranging from Rs 65,960 to Rs 95,910 on account of fuel and maintenance.
However, majority of the officials, sources said have been continuously using general duty vehicles instead of those given to them by the government, but principle accounting officer of each ministry and division responsible for ensuring proper use of vehicles have not submitted quarterly compliance report.
The PAOs of each ministry was made responsible for strict observance of the policy and was directed to obtain a certificate from each entitled officer including himself/herself that they are not in possession of using any project, department operational general duty vehicle or an organisation vehicle. Sources said that a total 529 vehicles 1000/1300CC had been monetized by various ministries and division in the first year and 80 vehicles so far have been surrendered as per certificates of the PAOs.
About six ministries have not yet furnished the requisite certificates about surrendering of vehicles. An official of the Finance Ministry said that the policy has been designed with good intentions and may be having teething problems at initial stages but its implementation in letter and spirit will eliminate misuse of official vehicles and curtail expenditure of various heads, maintenance, POL and drivers.