ISLAMABAD: The Punjab CM Office has spent Rs23.3 million on the replacement of just five tyres of one of its VVIP vehicles. The budget allocated for transport (repair and maintenance) of the CM office stood at Rs30 million for 2022-2023.
Almost 80 per cent of the total budget for transport was spent on these five tyres of VVIP bullet-proof security vehicle Mercedes Benz S-600-L belonging to Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, reveal official documents present with this correspondent. The first quarter of the current financial year has not ended yet and the chief minister has demanded an additional grant of Rs30 million for repair and maintenance of the CM office vehicles.
In its letter to the Finance Department Punjab, the CM office wrote that the funds allocated for the current financial year for the CM transport (repair and maintenance) have already exhausted. The letter says the provision of funds for transport maintenance is inescapable and it is apprehended that expenditures on this count will be more than the revised estimated of the previous financial year due to the price hike. “It is requested that additional funds amounting to Rs30 million are provided through a supplementary grant for 2022-2023.”
This correspondent tried to reach the chief minister but failed to get his view. The News repeatedly tried to contact Coordination Secretary to Chief Minister Rafaqat Ali and Fazl Chohan, spokesperson to the Punjab CM, but none replied. Umar Sarfaraz Cheema also avoided comment. He said he could not say anything pertaining to the CM office or the CM as it was not under his jurisdiction.