SRINAGAR:Even as the J&K government struggles to pay adequate compensation to last year’s flood victims owing to ‘financial crunch’, the PDP-BJP coalition Government in the state has decided to purchase 100 SUVs for legislators at the whopping sum of Rs 11 crore.
The state Home Department has issued an order for the purchase of 100 Mahindra Scorpio SUVs for sitting MLAs and MLCs. “Sanction is accorded to procurement of 100 Mahindra Scorpio S 10 BS4 vehicles on DGS&D rates of Rs 11,26,208 per vehicle in favour of the Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir as vehicle for use of sitting MLAs/MLCs,” reads the official order issued by Principal Secretary to J&K Government, Home Department, R K Goyal.
The order further reads that the sanction is subject to the condition that procurement of the vehicles shall be done through the Directorate of State Motor Garage who shall ensure the observance of all codal formalities.
“The requisite funds for the said purpose shall be placed at the disposal of Police Headquarters, on receipt of allocation from the Finance Department,” adds the order.
There are total of 123 legislators in both Houses of the legislature in J&K.
Of them 89 are MLAs and 34 MLCs. 25 of the legislators are ministers including the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister while four others are Presiding Officers including Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Legislative Council, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Two MLAs -- Syed Bakir Rizvi (Independent) and Anjum Fazili (Nominated-PDP) are in the rank of MoS after being nominated chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the Boards/Commissions.
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