Misuse of official vehicles in various government departments, ministries and semi-autonomous bodies cost, on an average, millions of rupees annually to the taxpayers. A survey conducted by Business Recorder revealed that thousands of official vehicles are being misused by different government departments.
The vehicles, bearing government number plates, are frequently seen outside colleges and universities at pick and drop time, in different markets and shopping malls besides recreational places. This unauthorised use of official vehicles had been ignored for years, the survey said, adding the official vehicles also were used by those who were not entitled to this facility.
Sources said that many senior officials were reportedly in possession of several official vehicles, which were in use by members of their families at the government expense. It is fairly routine to see official vehicles parked in Aabpara Market, Jinnah Super market, Saddar, children parks and other places. According to survey, the government is also paying millions of rupees as fuel charges every month. Reports in the media have pointed out time and again about misuse of official vehicles, but the government has turned a deaf ear to such reports.
The Auditor General of Pakistan in the 2008-09 audit report revealed that the government had to bear Rs 0.210 million on POL for vehicles in personal vehicles of the officials of the Pakistan Post Office Department. According to reports, a government servant may claim road mileage for journey by road in his personal car, provided the controlling officer is satisfied that the journey has been performed in public interest.
Contrary to the above, two Assistant Directors (F), PLI, were allowed by the General Manager, PLI, Lahore to use personal vehicles till availability of government vehicles for PLI business. As a result, an expenditure of Rs 209,621 was incurred on account of POL for the vehicles at the rate of 125 and 180 litres per month respectively during 2007-08.
A source in the Ministry of Finance revealed that transport and petrol facility was equally misused by the government employees and Federal ministers. None of the ministerial staff, including the private secretary (PS), is authorised under the law to have official vehicles, but, in most of the cases, the senior staff of the Federal ministers had access to official conveyance and free petrol, he said.
He further said that under the law, a Federal minister or the minister of state is authorised only one staff car and there is no provision for any additional vehicle(s) for ministerial staff, including private secretary, protocol officer, press secretary, etc. Therefore, extending the minister's fuel facility to other vehicles is also a violation of the government policy and rules. In view of the legal position, the Finance Ministry has written to other ministries to attach authorisation for use of official fuel meant for a minister's staff car for a second vehicle.