New transport monetisation policy revises use of govt vehicles

The civil servants in BS-20, BS-21 and BS-22 would be given Rs 65,960, Rs 77,430 and Rs 95,910 respectively as transport monetisation per month under the compulsory monetisation of transport facility to be implemented from January 1, 2012.
According to the rules of the facility which will be enforced from the start of 2012: no new recruitment of drivers will be made until drivers rendered surplus are adjusted in consultation with the Establishment Division; there will be a complete ban on the purchase of staff cars; all the ministries, divisions and departments will maintain a limited pool of vehicles (1000/800cc) for general duties and one 1300cc vehicle will be maintained for protocol and operational duty by the entitled officers. However, the number of 1300cc vehicles for operational and protocol duties by the entitled officers would be determined, keeping in view the strength and functions of the ministry.
The rules state that the basic objective of this transport monetisation policy is in line with the observance of the austerity measures and to eliminate any possibility of misuse of official vehicles as well as to restrict the maintenance expenditure of the vehicles to the bare minimum, which shall be used for protocol and operational duty purposes. Implementation of this policy shall be the responsibility of all principal accounting officers by obtaining certificates from each of the entitled officers in BS-20 to BS-22, including himself that he is not possessing or using any project vehicle or a departmental operational/general duty vehicle as well as any vehicle of an organisation or a corporate body in his ex-officio capacity as member of its board, except the only vehicle allocated to him through this Monetisation Policy. The vehicles which will become surplus after the implementation of this policy shall be immediately surrendered to the Cabinet Division’s central pool of cars.
The rules further state that no officer of BS-20 to BS-22 will be entitled and authorised to use project vehicles or the departmental operational/general duty vehicles for any kind of duty. However, they may be allowed the facility to avail the departmental operational/general duty vehicles, subject to the entitlement or the availability of the vehicle, in case they have to go on official tours.
Petrol/CNG cards for staff cars may be retained by the officers to be financed from the date of implementation of the policy at their own expense. However, the ownership of the cards shall be transferred in the name of the officer concerned by the respective ministry, division or department. Similarly, no expenditure on the repair, maintenance or replacement of parts for the vehicles opted to be allocated to the entitled officers shall be paid by the ministries, divisions and departments or entertained by the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) from the date of the policy’s enforcement. No green number plate will be allowed to be used for the staff cars purchased by the officers in BS-20 to BS-22.
Purchase of allocated car: The civil servants in BS-20 to BS-22 who have been provided the official transport may be given the first option to purchase the allocated cars on depreciated price. According to the prescribed formula, the depreciated price of a vehicle is calculated by depreciating the original price of the vehicle at the rate of 15 percent for the first year and 10 percent for the subsequent year. However, keeping in view the existing condition of vehicles which are extensively used, it has been decided to allow 15 percent depreciation for each completed year of life of the vehicles. The depreciation will start from the year of the car’s model. The depreciated price of the vehicles shall be calculated by the Condemnation/Replacement Committee. In any case, the committee would not recommend the depreciated price of a 1000cc vehicle less than Rs 200,000, while Rs 250,000 for a 1300cc vehicle. The recovery instalments of the depreciated price of the vehicle shall be fixed (not less than Rs 25,000 per month) in such a way that the entire cost is recovered from the officers before the date of their superannuation.
According to the rules, an undertaking to sign the Transfer Deed will be submitted to the AGPR through the ministry, division or department by each officer opting for the purchase of a car and that he is bound to pay the total depreciated amount to the government and allows the AGPR to recover the same from his salary in such a way that the total amount is recovered before the date of superannuation. The AGPR will keep a record of the options exercised by the officers regarding retention of drivers and the purchase of cars on the basis of which pay slips of the officers will be revised for payment of monetised value and recovery of instalments for the purchase of staff car and Rs 10,000 on account of the driver facility. The Transfer Deed will be issued after full recovery of the depreciated amount of the vehicle.