The government had earlier too sent a proposal to the Finance Department for buying bulletproof vehicles for former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The government had earlier too sent a proposal to the Finance Department for buying bulletproof vehicles for former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The Punjab Transport Department has moved a proposal to procure 20 SUVs, including 17 for legislators, on the plea that vehicles provided to the lawmakers have outlived their fitness and were not allowed to enter Delhi.

The ball is now in the Finance Department’s court. If it clears the proposal, the Transport Department would need Rs 2.8 crore to procure Toyota Innova vehicles through Government-e-Marketplace (GeM) App.

The demand to purchase the SUVs has come at a time when the state government has been crying foul for not being able to clear bills worth Rs 6,000 crore piled up in the treasury.

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal had in the recent past raised several times the issue of the Centre not compensating the state for the GST. He has that the fund-starved state was on verge of collapse. Manpreet is set to raise the issue with Centre at GST Council meet on Wednesday.

Sources in the government said at least 17 Innovas given to MLAs have outlived their fitness. As per the government rules, a vehicle that is five years old or has clocked 3.5 lakh kilometres should be condemned, but official vehicles with many of the legislators are more than 10 years old.

“These vehicles, purchased in 2008 and 2009, have covered more than 10 lakh kilometres. They keep breaking down. Also, six months ago, two MLAs were not allowed to enter into Delhi on board these vehicles. They parked their cars at the border and hired a cab to reach their destination in Delhi,” said a government functionary.

The government had earlier too sent a proposal to the Finance Department for buying bulletproof vehicles for former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. But Manpreet had shot down the proposal.

Providing cars to MLAs has remained a political issue in the state, especially when neighbouring Himachal Pradesh does not provide any official vehicles to its MLAs. Punjab had earlier planned to adopt Himachal’s policy of providing interest free loan to MLAs for purchase of vehicles. The plan, however, was never formalised.

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