The Punjab government submitted para-wise comments in the court of Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday and withdrew the summary moved by the S&GAD department for purchasing of Rs 3.35 million ‘Reefer Container’ for serving food to the chief minister and other VVIPs.
The writ petition was filed by Chaudhry Shoaib Saleem Advocate in person challenging purchase of a luxurious special vehicle “Reefer Container” against a colossal amount of Rs 3.35 million just for serving food to the Punjab chief minister and other VVIPs.
Ch Saleem had submitted in the petition that in a poor country like Pakistan where the people were deprived of basic and fundamental rights to education, health, clean drinking water, protection to their persons and property, a special vehicle was being purchased for the chief minister. He said it was the discrimination and violation of Article 25 of the Constitution.
The petitioner-lawyer also annexed a notification issued in this regard with his petition saying that the personal secretary to chief minister requested the S&GAD secretary for purchasing a special vehicle “Reefer Container” amounting Rs 3.35million for the comptroller wing of Chief Minister’s office for the supply of food stuff in the meetings of the VVIPs and the chief minister having the facility of hot and cold storage.
Moreover, the petitioner said that the S&GAD secretary also suggested model specification for the proposed ‘Reefer Container” and it was further requested that the case might be processed for purchase of said ‘van’ for the chief minister’s office on top priority basis and the said summary was prepared and forwarded by suffocating and compromising all the rules and regulations suggested/issued by the Punjab Secretary Finance. He annexed the issued notification No FDSO (GOODS) 44-4-/2011 dated August 06, 2013.
The petitioner requested the court to restrain the Punjab government from purchasing luxurious special vehicle “Reefer Container” for providing food to the Punjab chief minister and VVIPs.
The petition for adjourned for March 16.
