Austerity should be no stranger to a reforms-driven government. But if the Akalis can do it, Captain Amarinder Singh’s cash-strapped regime can do it better. A government which defaulted with the RBI this month on its payment schedule and, by its own admission, barely has money to pay salaries, has decided to purchase a Toyota Qualis each for all MLAs and MPs in the state.The only exceptions will be the Chief Minister and the ministers, who have already been provided with official vehicles as well as escort vehicles.The proposal had been first mooted at a meeting political parties had had with the CM in June. After some MLAs objected to Tata Sumo, the choice fell on Qualis. The final proposal was prepared by the transport department.Since there is no provision for providing all of them with vehicles, it will be given as an escort vehicle on the ground of security, costing the state an estimated Rs 6 crore.The Congress government is only following a precedent established five years ago when the Akalis gave a Tata Sumo to all MLAs. The proposal has been cleared by the office of the Chief Minister and has to get expenditure sanction from the finance department.There are 117 MLAs, 13 Lok Sabha MPs and six Rajya Sabha MPs in Punjab. Out of them, 23 are ministers, including the CM. Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa is a Union cabinet minister, which leaves 94 MLAs and 18 MPs, accounting for 112 Qualis vehicles.Chief Secretary, Punjab, Y S Ratra told The Indian Express that the proposal was with the finance department. When asked whether it had been approved by the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary’s reply was ‘‘apparently’’. He added that these vehicles were escort vehicles and as such would be allotted by the transport department. Although details about the financial burden are not officially available, finance department sources said a ‘‘base version’’ of the vehicle would be purchased without AC. This reportedly costs Rs 5.16 lakh minus sundry charges. For 112 vehicles, it would cost Rs 5.78 crore. The other models are costlier.The Qualis proposal comes after the splurge on renovation of the residences of the CM as well as ministers.In the official residence of some of the ministers, the entire flooring has been replaced with vinyl flooring while in others even structural changes have been made after the Punjab government took over the job of maintaining ministerial houses.
