The Government of Punjab has announced plans to purchase 79 new luxury vehicles for Rs. 612.475 million. These vehicles are intended for provincial ministers, parliamentary secretaries, and security escorts for VVIP protocol duties.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested 15 VVIP vehicles, including bulletproof cars, from the Punjab government for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad. This request prompted the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of Punjab to brief the Standing Committee of Cabinet on Finance & Development about the need to bolster the Services and General Administration Department’s (S&GAD) transport pool with luxury vehicles.
Senior officials from the S&GAD noted that it is customary for new governments, including caretaker administrations, to acquire luxury vehicles for high-ranking officials. Following the current government’s approval, the finance department is expected to release the necessary funds, including an advance withdrawal of Rs 612.475 million.
The ACS explained that the Punjab government recently appointed 29 parliamentary secretaries, each entitled to an official car for both official and private use, as per the Parliamentary Secretaries (Salary, Allowances and Privileges) Ordinance, 2002. Currently, 20 parliamentary secretaries have been provided vehicles from the S&GAD’s transport pool, necessitating the purchase of nine additional vehicles.
In anticipation of future expansions in the provincial cabinet and parliamentary secretaries, the government plans to acquire 20 reserve vehicles. Additionally, due to the prevailing law and order situation, 30 new Toyota Hilux single-cabin 4×2 vehicles are required for ministerial escorts.
The SCO summit, expecting attendance from 12 heads of government, has further increased the demand for VVIP vehicles. The foreign affairs ministry has requested 15 bulletproof and non-bulletproof vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Fortuner models, for the event.
The ACS informed the committee of the current shortage of vehicles for protocol duties and VVIP deployments, particularly for the SCO meeting. To address this, the government plans to purchase two Toyota Fortuner and 15 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6 vehicles.
The total procurement includes 29 Toyota Corolla Altis X Grande 1.8 CVT-I for parliamentary secretaries, costing Rs 220.139 million, and 15 Toyota Corolla Altis X 1.6 CVT cars for protocol duties, costing Rs 99.615 million. Additionally, two Toyota Fortuner 4×4 Sigma 2.8l T-Diesel vehicles will be acquired for Rs 36.186 million, and 30 Toyota Hilux 4×2 Single Cabin Pickup STD Models for Rs 209.04 million. The cost also covers the installation of fiber hoods on the Hilux vehicles and includes Rs 17.495 million in rates and taxes for all 76 vehicles.
