Punjab govt to buy luxury vehicles worth Rs600mn for VVIPs

The Punjab government has greenlit a plan to acquire 79 new luxury vehicles for provincial ministers and parliamentary secretaries, with a budget of Rs600 million.

The move aimed to bolster the transport pool of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) with luxury vehicles.

According to sources, the provincial home ministry has requested vehicles for 15 VVIPs, including bullet-proof vehicles for 12 prime ministers attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Islamabad on October 15 .

The Additional Chief Secretary Punjab briefed the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development on the need for vehicles, citing the recent appointment of 29 Parliamentary Secretaries.

As per the law, each Parliamentary Secretary is entitled to an official vehicle for both official and private purposes.

The government has already provided vehicles to 20 parliamentary secretaries but needs to purchase nine more.

Additionally, 20 vehicles will be reserved for future expansions in the provincial cabinet and parliamentary secretaries.

Considering the current law and order situation, the government has requested 30 new Toyota Hilux single cabins with special fiber hoods for provincial ministers’ security.

The home ministry has also procured 15 bulletproof and non-bulletproof VVIP vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Fortuner, for the SCO meeting.

The Punjab government’s transport wing will oversee the purchase and registration of these new vehicles.