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Govt moves to legalise use of project 21,458 cars

Rules may be amended

SHAKHAWAT LITON
The government, being failed to stop different ministries from using 21,458 project vehicles on completion of the projects, has now moved to legalise the unauthorised use by amending rules on public transport, sources said.
The establishment ministry will hold an inter-ministerial meeting soon to amend the rules that say the vehicles purchased for develop-
ment projects must be returned to the central transport pool within three weeks of the completion of the projects.
The ministries and divisions have been using the project vehicles for long violating the rules. Sources said the proposed amendment to the public transport rules will enable the ministries to use those vehicles legally.
"We will sit with the finance ministry and the IMED (Implementa-
tion, Monitoring and Evaluation Division) to discuss the matter," a senior official of the establishment ministry told The Daily Star yesterday, wishing anonymity.
"We are now reviewing all relevant documents to see whether the existing rules could be amended or new rules could be formulated," he added.
Earlier this month the establishment ministry issued a circular
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urging the government officials to refrain from using public transport illegally. It warned of stern action against unauthorised use of public vehicles, the official said.
A report of the establishment ministry says 615 development projects were implemented from 1997 to 2004 under 43 ministries and divisions. A total of 26,651 vehicles were purchased for the projects but the ministries returned only 303 vehicles.
The purchased vehicles include 355 microbuses, 1,379 jeeps, 227 cars, 534 pick-ups, 190 trucks, 18 buses, 36 minibuses, 12,537 motorcycles and 11,375 others.
The ministries and divisions returned 27 microbuses, 129 jeeps, 79 cars, 23 pick-ups, one bus, one minibus and 39 motorcycles on completion of the projects.
The agriculture ministry is using the highest 12,322 vehicles while it returned only 17. The LGRD ministry is using 4,501 vehicles and returned 61. Primary and mass education ministry is using 2,829 vehicles and returned 56.
The parliamentary standing committee on establishment ministry in last January grilled the ministry's officials as they failed to submit a report on the vehicles. Finally the ministry on March 30 submitted a report.
The Anti-Corruption Commission, meanwhile, initiated an inquiry to find out the "missing" vehicles. It also issued letters to some ministries seeking information.