* ‘Unfit’ vehicles given to DDCs of many distts
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 5: Bizarre it may sound but it is a fact that while Government has enough money to purchase luxurious vehicles for the legislators, it doesn’t have funds to ensure effective mobility of the officers, who are supposed to pay frequent visits to the fields to perform the duties assigned by the Government. Even the heads of many districts of the State have been provided with ‘unfit’ and ‘condemned’ vehicles.
Sources told EXCELSIOR that Government’s recent move to purchase Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for the MLAs and MLCs has created resentment among the officers particularly of the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Tehsildars, who have been vying for the official motor vehicles since long despite the fact that they are supposed to pay frequent visits to the fields to perform multifarious duties assigned by the Government.
“What to talk of Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Tehsildars in peace zone areas even those posted in the border belts like in Arnia, Khour and Akhnoor and have jurisdiction over huge area have not been provided the vehicles”, they informed.
Sources further informed that situation is worst in respect of newly created administrative units as almost all the Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Tehsildars in such units have yet not been considered for allotment of official vehicles. “These officers are still using those private vehicles which were hired during Assembly elections and the liability of such vehicles has touched lakhs of rupees”, they said.
It is worthwhile to mention here that EXCELSIOR in its edition dated July 29 had mentioned that Additional District Development Commissioners in several districts of the State have not been provided with proper vehicles despite the fact that they were supposed to remain in the fields for 15 days a month to inspect and monitor the ongoing projects and schemes.
Stating that Government doesn’t have any explicit policy about allotment of vehicles to the officers, sources said, “even the District Development Commissioners have been vying for proper motor-vehicles in many districts of the State”, adding “in one district of Jammu province, a District Development Commissioner has been provided that vehicle, which was put to exhaustive use by a Minister in National Conference-Congress Coalition Government for complete six years. This vehicle has crossed over 3 lakh kilometers of run”.
Similarly, another District Development Commissioner of Jammu province has been provided 10 years old vehicle and his counterpart in adjoining district is using virtually ‘unfit’ vehicle. A Deputy Commissioner in a mountainous district is having Tavera vehicle at his disposal, which otherwise is not fit by plying in such a terrain. Another DDC is using the vehicle, which otherwise has been engaged for a mega project.
“Similar is the situation in some districts of the Kashmir province”, sources regretted while disclosing that during the past eight years only one or two District Development Commissioners have been provided with new vehicles and majority of the DDCs have been given the vehicles discarded by the Ministers or the Legislators.
On the other side, the Government is all set to purchase Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for the MLAs and MLCs. “This purchase is notwithstanding the fact that about two years back the previous Government had purchased brand new Bolero vehicles for the legislators”, sources said, adding “no doubt it is the discretion of the Government to look after the requirements of the legislators but at the same time focus is required to be laid on the requirement of vehicles of field level officers so as to ensure their effective mobility”.
Stressing that Government should evolve a proper policy for purchase and allotment of vehicles to the Ministers, Legislators as well as officers, sources said, “requirement, not comforts should be the yardstick for purchase of vehicles”.
When contacted, a senior officer of the State Motor Garages said, “our department is also required to provide vehicles to DDCs and SDMs while as Tehsildars are required to be given vehicles by the Revenue Department”, adding “we cannot provide vehicles to all the SDMs unless there are directions from the Government and placement of sufficient vehicles at our disposal”.
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