Hand over the keys: Govt to take back cars of grade-17 officers

Officials says grade-18 officers are next; move seen as part of monetisation policy

PESHAWAR:

In its bid to cut costs and spend money on actual development, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa administration department has cancelled the authorisation of cars for grade-17 officers. It is also in the process of cancelling the same for grade-18 officers.

The K-P administration department issued a notification to this effect on February 2, thus withdrawing earlier orders of its transport committee which authorised staff cars for grade-17 officers in the provincial government and its attached departments.

According to the notification, all vehicles used by the officers of grade-17 at the secretariat and directorate level will be returned to the administration department for further disposal.

The decision had been taken at a meeting of the Transport Committee on January 29 and the body sent the notification to all government departments, including the commissioners’ offices and directorates. Besides, a gazette notification was also issued.

An official privy to the matter told The Express Tribune they are collecting vehicles of grade-17 officers at the Civil Secretariat and directorates across the province.

“The principal secretaries will collect the vehicles and return them to the administration department,” said an official dealing with the matter.

He added the vehicles will be sent to those districts where there was a shortfall and the remaining will be auctioned or sold off.

The official called the move a part of the monetisation policy under which the government is going to take cars from its officials and compensate them with conveyance allowances through a formula set for the policy.

“Since grade-17 officers are no longer entitled to official cars, they will be compensated with Rs20,000 a month which were fixed in the policy,” the official added. “We are working on withdrawing the authorisation from grade-18 officers as well and will take back all the vehicles from them.”

The notification also states that in case of exigencies, the department will provide vehicles from its pool on a day-to-day and case to case bases.

Currently, grade-17 officers across the province are using 75 official cars of small and medium capacity engines.

This is despite the fact that the authorisation only entitled them to cars with 800cc engines. In addition, each individual gets 75 litres of fuel, the official said.

“We will also save money on the repairs and oil changes of these cars each month,” the official said. “Some of the vehicles will be given to those deputy commissioners or commissioners who need cars.”

At the same time, the government drivers of the Civil Secretariat and others across the province opposed the decision, saying it would jeopardise their service and effect their salaries and allowances.

“We get secretariat allowance and overtime which will be withdrawn,” said Manzoor Khan, the drivers’ association president.

Manzoor said the policy was not in favour of the province and its people. He believed the finance department was behind the policy and it was deceiving the government by showing greener pastures.

“The same policy failed to deliver in Islamabad,” Manzoor said, warning the government to halt it or they would be forced to go on a key-down strike.

About the drivers, officials of the administration department said the government has 805 drivers who will be sent to their home districts. At the same time, those who are educated will be adjusted in junior clerk slots and a few will be reserved for the pool cars.

“Any secretary who wishes to keep an official driver for his personal cars will pay Rs10,000 to the government to avail his services,” one of them  said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2016.