More luxurious vehicles hired for ‘security’

GILGIT, Nov 10: As though spending of over Rs200 million per year was not enough on the vehicles being used for the so-called internal security duty, the government hired 54 more vehicles for use in Skardu and Gilgit cities, it has been learnt. Sources said that the vehicles were taken on hire after floating tenders and the contract was given to the lowest bidder. But it has made the people of the region perplexed. On the one hand the government has been crying hoarse about unavailability of funds but on the other it has no dearth of money when it comes to spending on such unnecessary measures. It may be noted that hundreds of vehicles have already been hired at the cost of the public money in the name of security duty but their result has been zero as the law and order situation continues deteriorating. The people of the area are of the view that these vehicles are taken on hire and misused by the officials concerned. Instead of checking the trend, the hiring of more vehicles in such a big number is intriguing, they added. Officials in the finance department told this correspondent that during the last about seven years, over one and a half billion rupees were spent on these vehicles hired in the name of internal security duty. But the laws and order situation has not improved. The people of the region demanded that the government should stop spending public money on such unnecessary issues.    ]]>