Jammu, Sept 24: The Jammu and Kashmir Government came under pointed scrutiny in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday over the continued absence of a uniform policy governing the allotment and use of official vehicles, with Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather terming the Government’s response incomplete and seeking a fresh, detailed reply.
City& Local GuidesThe issue arose during Question Hour on a starred question by Udhampur East MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania on the Government’s vehicle fleet and expenditure.
The Government’s reply acknowledged that a revised vehicle policy proposing the principle of “One Vehicle–One Officer” has been drafted, but remains under consideration. The proposed framework envisages exceptions for security requirements, field duties, additional assignments, operational exigencies and functional requirements of departments and organisations.
Pathania questioned why the principle has not been enforced when the exercise to formulate a revised policy dates back to 2021. The Government itself stated that the General Administration Department constituted a committee through Government Order No. 321-JK(GAD) of 2021 dated April 9, 2021, to examine and recommend a revised Car/Vehicle Policy. The committee has since prepared the Government Vehicle Management Policy, 2026, which is yet to be notified.
The exchange brought into sharp focus why a policy exercise initiated five years ago has still not translated into a binding, uniform framework.
Pathania also questioned the rationale for allotting multiple official vehicles to individual officers, particularly where an officer holds additional departmental charge. He questioned whether holding additional responsibilities, by itself, could justify multiple vehicles being placed at the disposal of the same officer.
The Speaker intervened and sought greater clarity from the Government on the rationale behind such arrangements, including the practice of maintaining separate vehicles for officers holding additional charges.
The Government’s own reply indicates that there is presently no uniform ceiling on the number of official vehicles that may be allotted, even as the proposed policy seeks to introduce the “One Vehicle–One Officer” principle.
Pathania further widened the issue from vehicle allocation to public expenditure, raising questions over multiple POL claims and instances of double TA/DA claims, and seeking to know what corrective measures had been taken to prevent or discontinue such practices.
He also questioned the Government’s reliance on departmental audits and physical verification of vehicles, seeking greater transparency and asking whether independent third-party audits could be undertaken to establish actual utilisation and expenditure.
The Government stated that the State Motor Garages Department undertakes periodic audit and physical verification of the vehicle fleet. Details of Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments and senior officers allotted more than one official vehicle—including pool/attached vehicles and vehicles drawn from subordinate offices, PSUs and corporations—have been furnished in Annexure-D.
The Assembly exchange thus went beyond the number of official vehicles to the larger issue of accountability, utilisation and economy in public expenditure.
The Government has stated that the proposed policy is intended to rationalise the vehicle fleet, optimise utilisation of available resources and promote economy in Government expenditure.
However, until the draft policy is formally approved and notified, the existing system continues without a uniform ceiling.
With the Speaker seeking a fresh response, the Government is now required to explain, more specifically, why a vehicle-rationalisation exercise initiated in 2021 remains pending in 2026, what governs multiple vehicle allotments in the interim, and what safeguards are in place to prevent avoidable expenditure of public money.
