Hired vehicles for Customs and excise office(r)s
Under the scheme for utilization of 1 % of the incremental revenue towards enhancement of organizational efficiency and infrastructure of the field formations under the Central Board of Excise & Customs, the competent authority has sanctioned hiring of one vehicle for the Commissionerate Hqrs (Total 133) and one vehicle each for the Division (total 460), i,e., total 593 vehicles. In Government, nothing comes without a tag; these are the conditions:-
1. The vehicles may be hired w.e.f. 01.04.2007 or afterwards;
2. Vehicle used by officers of the grade of Commissioner and above - 30/31 day of hiring subject to maximum of 2500 kms in a month.
3. Vehicle used by other officers & for other purposes - 20-25 days subject to a maximum of 2000 km in a month;
4. The record of the journey undertaken for official purpose may be maintained in line with the log book system for the departmental vehicle;
5. Only non-air conditioned vehicles may be hired;
6. Utmost economy in Government expenditure should be ensured
7. Hiring may be done on the basis of the lowest quotation received by the Commissionerate and cost ceiling of Rs.25,000/- per month, per vehicle exclusive of Service Tax.
8. The recurring expenditure involved in the hiring of vehicles will be met from the Sanctioned Budget Grant under Office Expenses (Motor Vehicles) of the Commissionerate for 2007-08. Additional funds required for this purpose may be obtained from IFU (B&A) separately.
While the Government is generous in granting a hired vehicle for all the divisions and an additional vehicle for the Commissionerate, they have put in a spanner that only non air conditioned vehicles have to be hired. Why? There is some rule framed in the days of the Raj that only Secretaries to the Government are entitled to AC vehicles. But today it is so very difficult to get non- air conditioned cars. And in any case you can get a nice Tata Indica air-conditioned car for Rs. 14,000/- a month. And the ceiling is Rs. 25,000/-.
So now what is going to happen? They are all going to hire air-conditioned cars and show them as non air-conditioned and they are all going to be offenders for having flouted the government instructions. Any way they are all going to hire air conditioned cars. Why don’t you allow it officially? It is absolutely necessary that our babus are kept cool!