–Govt adds Rs120m to national exchequer on first day of auction
–Info minister claims all vehicles were sold above market price
ISLAMABAD: Sixty-one out of 102 luxury vehicles of the Prime Minister’s House were sold by the federal government in an auction as part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s austerity drive, Administrator PM House Major Asif said on Monday.
The administrator said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will re-evaluate the prices of vehicles which were unable to find buyers at the auction, adding that the 102 vehicles presented for auction had a value of over Rs1 billion.
He said that as many as Rs 120 million went into the national exchequer with the sale of 61 vehicles and the government hoped to receive a bid of over Rs 160 million for bombproof vehicles.
Major Asif said they were unable to find buyers of the two bombproof vehicles.
As many as seven luxury bulletproof cars were sold among the 27 vehicles presented in the auction.
‘ABOVE MARKET PRICE’:
Earlier, while speaking to reporters, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the first batch of vehicles were sold “above their market price”.
“70 cars have been sold so far,” he said, adding that the auction will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, 34 non-imported cars have been sold so far. In the second phase, 41 imported cars will be sold.
The information minister announced that all the money collected from the auction will go to the national treasury.
Four recent models of Mercedes, eight bulletproof BMWs, three 5000CC SUVs and two 3000cc SUVs of 2016 model were among the vehicles up for auction.
Moreover, 24 Mercedes Benz of 2016 model were also part of the auction of which two are 4,000cc bullet-proof vehicles.
Forty Toyota cars, including a 2004 Lexus, 2006 Lexus SUV, and two 2004 model Land Cruisers, were also up for auction.
Other vehicles that were auctioned include eight Suzuki cars, five Mitsubishi vehicles, nine Hondas and two jeeps.
In his maiden address to the nation, PM Khan had emphasised on cutting government expenditure. As part of the cost-cutting initiative, he had announced the auction of surplus PM House vehicles. The premier had decided against residing in the PM House, choosing the military secretary’s residence as his resting place.
Later on September 1, the federal government had announced to immediately put a fleet of government cars for auction following the PM Khan’s austerity policy. The government collectively sent 33 vehicles out on auction advertisement to reduce public expenditure from the government’s end.
Some of the remaining cars have been spared under control of the cabinet for welcoming foreign guests, media reports said.
