The government is going to purchase a total of 471 Mitsubishi Pajero jeeps (2350 CC) at a cost of Tk 166.68 crore violating the existing public procurement regulation (PPR). The vehicles are meant for use by Upazila chairmen. The LGRD Ministry has prepared a proposal to procure the nine-seat green Pajero jeeps, each priced at Tk 35.39 lakh.

According to the proposal, the ministry will also give Tk 1,78,513 to each of the Upazila chairmen at a time. Of the money, Tk 80,000 will be given for registration, Tk 58,513 for converting the vehicle to CNG driven one and Tk 40,000 for setting up air-conditioner in the vehicle. The proposal will be placed at the meeting of the cabinet committee on purchase (CCP) to be held on November 1 for approval, sources in the LGRD Ministry said yesterday.

A high official at the ministry told The Independent that all the jeeps (V31 VHNDRB model) would be purchased from the Progoti Industries, a government owned car purchase and assembling company, without inviting tenders. "The proposal says that the amount of money for procurement of the Japanese-origin jeeps will be paid from the LGRD Ministry's budgetary allocation for fiscal 2008-09 and 2009-2010," he said. "If the ministry purchases the jeeps without inviting tenders, the high-ups concerned could be blamed for misappropriation of money in the near future," he added.

Another official of the ministry told this correspondent that Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Limited (BMTFL) had proposed to the concerned ministry to supply the jeeps. But the ministry has yet to accept the proposal, he added. Sources at the Directorate of Government Transport said that there were around 450 cars in the central pool of the directorate. Of these cars, 40 Nissan cars are for use of cabinet ministers and government secretaries. A total of 307 high officials of the rank of Secretary, Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary are using different types of cars. Secretaries to different ministries and the divisions are using luxury Pajero jeeps, although some advisers of the government are using 1300cc to 1600cc Sedan cars.

-The independent