MC vehicles in Punjab to come under hammer

The communication further states that the officials entitled to vehicles would be allowed a vehicle allowance of Rs 5,000 per month. Further, they would also be offered a loan facility to either buy a new or a second-hand vehicle and would also be given requisite maintenance charges. The officials would be required to drive their own vehicles.

As per the new policy, the officers would be given the option to buy the MC vehicles. A maximum loan of Rs 3.50 lakhs at the rate of seven per cent per annum would be made available to them for the purpose and till the whole amount is repaid, the vehicle would remain mortgaged with the Corporation. The officials would also get maintenance charges of Rs 1,500 besides a comprehensive insurance at the rate of two per cent of the cost of the vehicle.

The officers to lose their official vehicles include SEs, XENs, Joint Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners, among others. Understandably, the move has created quite a storm in the official circles, where even the IAS and PCS officers on deputation to the MCs stand to lose this perceived prominent symbol of officialdom.

The officials have been pointing out that work-related exigencies like visiting sites or conflict areas would no longer be on their priority list once the vehicles go away. “Who is going to visit the remote areas of the city by driving their own vehicles, when most of us, being outsiders, do not even know the city roads?” complains one such officer.

Supervision of tasks like demolition and raids would also become a risky affair, given the public flare-ups witnessed at such instances, they say, adding that once they are posted out of the MC, they would have no use of the personal vehicles when they would be given official vehicles in their new position.

Another argument they have is the fact that the government does not have to foot any bill of the MC vehicles since these bodies are autonomous and everything from purchase to maintenance and the salary of the drivers, is paid by the MC. “The government should have started with the other departments who are dependent on it to foot these bills,” say the officials.

Defending the policy of the government, the Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner S S Sandhu said it is a welcome step, aimed at reducing the expenditure of public funds. “Most Western countries have adopted such measures and even in India, the move has been largely welcomed,” he said.

Regarding the issue of anticipated problems in performing official duties, the Commissioner pointed out that there is a provision for vehicles for operations like demolition of unauthorised buildings and other enforcement works in octroi and encroachment removal departments.

Meanwhile, the MCs are also recommending to the government that the officers on deputation be allowed to retain the vehicles or use the ones from the pool on a regular basis. Suggestions are also being made to adjust POL (petrol, oil and lubricant) allowance as per the requirements of individual cities. For instance, Patiala is one-third the size of Ludhiana, but the officials there would also get the same amount as the ones in Ludhiana.