E-Paper
Cars for sahibs, taxis for us!
IT PAYS to keep one?s bosses in good humour. Nobody knows this better than the LDA, which despite being under no obligation to do so, has gone all out to take care of their commuting needs by providing them each with a spanking new car from its fleet. And you thought the civic agency was mandated to take care of city?s development and housing need only! From secretary to Chief Minister, those enjoying LDA?s hospitality include half-a-dozen senior housing department officials right down to the level of an under secretary.
IT PAYS to keep one’s bosses in good humour. Nobody knows this better than the LDA, which despite being under no obligation to do so, has gone all out to take care of their commuting needs by providing them each with a spanking new car from its fleet.
And you thought the civic agency was mandated to take care of city’s development and housing need only! From secretary to Chief Minister, those enjoying LDA’s hospitality include half-a-dozen senior housing department officials right down to the level of an under secretary. While the senior officers have been provided with more comfortable ambassadors, those at the lower rung, say joint secretaries, have been given a Gypsy at the department’s expense.
Some of these vehicles, which have been pressed into the services of the ‘burra shahib’ contain following registration numbers: ambassador UP 32 2862 with secretary to CM, another one with UP 32 AY 5515 for secretary housing and UP 32 AU 0101 also an ambassador for special secretary housing.
Who cares for the rules when the ‘courtesy’ is also being extended to a special secretary in the law department? An ambassador (UP 32 J 6000) has been placed at the service of a special secretary in the law department. Another vehicle has been posted at the disposal of Commissioner Lucknow Division as he also happens to be the chairman of the LDA.
Not surprising therefore despite having a fleet of 50-60 four-wheelers, the LDA is finding itself short of meeting the commuting needs of its own officers. To play fair, it has hired air-conditioned taxis even though some of them are not entitled to the privilege under government rules.
According to sources, the LDA has hired 12 such taxis on a monthly rental of Rs 22,000 each. “Government rules permit use of vehicle for only those officers who are in the pay-scale of Rs 12,500. Going strictly by this only four official in LDA namely, the vice chairman, the secretary, additional secretary and the finance controller are entitled for official vehicle,” informed a senior LDA official.
He, however, said that though executive engineers were under the pay scale of Rs 10,000, yet they were allotted vehicles by the VC to make them discharge their field duties more effectively and efficiently. But leave alone executive engineers, at present air-conditioned vehicles have been provided to assistant engineers, who have been made in-charge of their zones despite a ban on any such arrangement by the State Government, he pointed out.
