State gets 2 new bullet-proof cars, could be for Chavan, Patil

The state government has just procured two bullet-proof vehicles and sources say they might be used by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and home minister RR Patil, Kailash Korde reports.

The state government has just procured two bullet-proof vehicles and sources say they might be used by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and home minister RR Patil.

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The vehicles, both versions of the Tata Safari, are being kept at the motor transport department’s garage in Nagpada. While they were received about 15 days ago, they haven’t been used yet.

Both are silver in colour sources suspect one of them could bear the registration number 999, which Chavan recently managed to wrangle for a new car.

However, police officials in the motor transport department said they did not know whom these vehicles would be used for. “The cars are just parked here. All we know is that they have been procured for some VIP,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.

The state government already has fleet of more than a dozen bullet-proof vehicles and these are used for the security of various VVIPs top ministers.

Modern bullet-proof vehicles are capable of withstanding shots from AK-47s and other sophisticated rifles. They can also cover a distance of 50km on flat tyres at a speed of more than 50kmph. A series of steel plates of different thickness are used to make them bullet proof.

Shreyans Parikh, managing director of Parikh Armoring Company said some cars can even be manufactured to be able to withstand bombs. The price of such vehicles depends on the security features and gadgets fitted inside them. Official permissions are required to make any car bullet-proof.