Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather has critically questioned Transport Minister Satish Sharma regarding the practice of allotting multiple government vehicles to officers who hold additional departmental charges. The Speaker emphasized that such a practice is an unaffordable luxury for a state like Jammu and Kashmir, which he described as poor.
Assembly Proceedings Highlight Concerns Over Vehicle Allocation
During the ongoing Assembly session, the issue surfaced when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA R S Pathania raised a question concerning the utilization of multiple official vehicles by officers with charge over more than one department. Pathania inquired whether the government had enforced or proposed to enforce a strict “One Officer One Vehicle” policy across all departments, public sector undertakings, boards, and autonomous bodies to curb the retention of multiple official vehicles.
In response, the Transport Minister informed the House that currently, there is no specific government policy that prescribes a uniform ceiling for the allotment or retention of official vehicles by individual officers across all departments of the Jammu and Kashmir government. However, he stated that a Revised Car Policy is under consideration, which proposes to introduce the principle of “One Vehicle-One Officer.” This proposed policy is also expected to include specific exceptions for security requirements, field duties, additional assignments, operational exigencies, and functional necessities of particular departments or organizations, subject to government approval.
The Minister further explained that the provisions of the revised policy, once approved, would be implemented across the concerned entities. The overarching aim of the “One Vehicle-One Officer” principle is to rationalize government vehicle usage and optimize the utilization of available resources. Despite the Minister’s assurances, the Speaker intervened, seeking details on the actions taken thus far to address the matter.
Responding to the Speaker’s inquiry, the Transport Minister described the practice as a “legacy issue” and assured the House that the government would examine the matter and take corrective measures. He committed to presenting an action-taken report during the ongoing session. The Speaker, however, pressed for a more immediate resolution, questioning whether a practice should persist simply due to its historical existence and expressing concerns over the use of public resources.
The discussion also touched upon related administrative matters concerning vehicles. The General Administration Department (GAD) had previously issued guidelines for regulating vehicle entry and parking within the Civil Secretariat and Assembly complex during the Assembly session, emphasizing security checks and designated parking areas. These guidelines also stipulated that no private vehicles belonging to employees would be allowed inside the Secretariat premises. Separately, there have been administrative communications regarding vehicle passes for Assembly employees, highlighting ongoing efforts to manage and regulate official vehicle usage.
The Chenab Times News Desk