138 cars for 85 bureaucrats, Uttarakhand govt wants more - Hindustan Times
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138 cars for 85 bureaucrats, Uttarakhand govt wants more

Hindustan Times, Dehradun | By
Feb 06, 2018 09:40 PM IST

The Uttarakhand government has 138 four wheelers for 85 senior bureaucrats entitled to government vehicle. There is a proposal for buying seven more SUVs

The Uttarakhand government has 138 four wheelers for 85 senior bureaucrats entitled to government vehicle. There is a proposal for buying seven more SUVs.

A car at the secretariat in Dehradun.(Vinay Santosh Kumar/HT)
A car at the secretariat in Dehradun.(Vinay Santosh Kumar/HT)

The state secretariat already sent a proposal to Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) for purchasing 20 battery-run vehicles for officers.

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The idea is to ensure eco-friendly steps for conserving the environment. But, the question arises why so many four wheelers for handful officers?

As per the data gathered from the revenue department, the ambassador is the choicest vehicle of officers that is 78 in number followed by many special utility vehicles like Skoda Laura, Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Maruti Suzuki Esteem.

The SUVs are a pet of top bureaucrats, said sources close to the secretariat.

Of 138 total government-owned cars, 49 are used by joint secretaries. These primarily include Scorpio, Innova, Tata Sumo, Vans, Gypsy, Bolero, XUV and Marshall.

Vinay Shankar Pandey, additional secretary revenue, said, “Only one vehicle is allotted to each of the officers above joint secretary level. We have to keep back up for emergency or special situations, so we also outsource vehicles from private parties.”

On an average, about 30,000 is spent on each of the government-owned vehicles which include the driver’s salary and maintenance. An additional expense of over 10, 000 is on the fuel.

This means that each of the vehicles is costing at least 50,000 monthly to the government.

Madan Kaushik, urban development minister and spokesperson of the government, said, “No officer is using more than one vehicle. We need to have a backup. Sometimes even ministers demand cars from the secretariat when their vehicles are in workshops or engaged.”

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Nihi Sharma is a Principal Correspondent based in Dehradun. She has been working with Hindustan Times since 2008. Her focus areas are wildlife and environment. Besides, she also covers politics, health and education.

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