KARACHI: It was revealed on Wednesday that the Sindh government had approved the purchase of 138 opulent double-cabin cars for its assistant commissioners stationed throughout the province, despite lofty claims of cutting back on spending in the name of a cost-cutting initiative.
According to Dawn, the finance department received a letter from the services, general administration, and coordination departments requesting the release of around Rs2 billion to purchase 138 double cabin (4×4) vehicles for the assistant commissioner throughout the province.
They claimed that earlier this week, before departing for a week-long visit to the United States, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had cleared the summary for the purchase of vehicles for ACs.
The province government decided not to start any new uplift projects under the Annual Development Programme for the financial year 2024–2025 because to financial restrictions, which is why the large amount for the purchase of the cars was approved.
The chief minister of Sindh had given the section officer-budget of the services department “permission to procure 138 vehicles (4×4 Double Cabin) in respect of Assistant Commissioners from existing budgetary allocation,” according to a copy of the summary that the officer-budget had forwarded to the finance department.
The request stated: “Therefore, the Finance Department of the Government of Sindh is hereby requested to release all withheld funds in the amount of Rs1,991,892,000/= that have been allocated under head of account SC2114(114)-Board of Revenue-A09501-Purchase of Transport. The funds shall be made available to the Senior Member of the Board of Revenue, Sindh, for the purpose of purchasing 138 vehicles (4×4 Double Cabin) for Assistant Commissioners through a centralised procurement mechanism in one go, in accordance with regulations and policy.”
“Cars are being bought after a 12-year gap”
Dawn was informed by Chief Minister House Spokesperson Rasheed Channa that the province budget had authorized and allotted money for the assistant commissioners’ car purchases.
He stated that after a 12-year gap since the previous vehicle purchase in 2012, the province government was now buying cars for assistant commissioners, who were also revenue officers in the districts.
“It is an essential expense since official duties in the province, particularly in the rural areas, require vehicles,” he said Dawn.
According to the sources, the deputy commissioners throughout the province would be getting more costly cars.
PTI criticizes the choice
In the meantime, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s provincial president, Haleem Adil Sheikh, denounced the provincial government’s plan to use a substantial portion of the provincial budget—roughly Rs. 2 billion—to purchase the pricey cars for air conditioners in a statement shared on social networking platform X.
He said that the province’s recent rains had swamped fields and left hundreds of families living on the streets. He regretted that the Sindh administration was making “royal decisions” rather than assisting the people of the state.
He questioned whether it was more important to aid the province’s flood victims than to give the assistant commissioners cars.
