New Mahindra Scorpios For Newly Elected MLAs In Jammu & Kashmir

The newly-elected MLAs of Jammu and Kashmir will get a new Mahindra Scorpio.

Srinagar:The newly elected legislators of Jammu and Kashmir will be getting plush vehicles with the government ordering 90 SUVs for them. The Scorpio vehicles delivered by Mahindra will cost the exchequer an estimated 14.85 crore, an official order said.

This comes a day after the 89 legislators were administered oath by the Protem speaker at the Legislative Assembly in Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah won from two seats including Budgam and Ganderbal. But he announced to retain the Ganderbal seat and resigned from Budgam, which will see a by-poll now.

The J&K Director Motor Garages, which is responsible for providing vehicles to the ministers and officials now, has been assigned to oversee the procurement of the vehicles. The vehicles will be procured through the Government e-Marketplace (GEM) portal following the General Financial Rules (GFR) 2017 including all necessary e-tendering and procedural formalities.

The department, according to the order, is responsible for securing and guaranteeing all financial transactions on the procurement and utilization certificates and red accounts to be submitted by March 31, 2025. It said that the funds must be exclusively used for vehicle procurement and cannot be diverted or reallocated for other purposes.

But the order has clearly stated that new posts of drivers will not be created with an official saying they have requisite staff for them. Additionally, the department has been instructed to ensure there is no idle parking of the funds.

The Omar Abdullah-led government took over after securing a majority winning 42 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 29 seats. Six seats were won by Congress, three by PDP, one each seat by CPIM and Peoples Conference and seven independents were elected.

A senior official from J&K Motor Garages told ETV Bharat that Scorpio vehicles will not be equipped with high-range features including bulletproof as was the practice earlier. “They will be plain vehicles as the previous vehicles have outlived their life," he said.

Earlier, the J&K Police security was providing bullet-proof vehicles to the legislators but now the J&K Motor Garages department has been entrusted with the responsibility, the official added. The Jammu and Kashmir Police falls under the domain of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the new set of rules in the Union Territory.

The Jammu and Kashmir transport department has framed rules named J&K State Car Policy entitling various categories including ministers with sedan or SUV up to Rs 15 lakh.