SRINAGAR: The Government has tightened regulations governing the use of official vehicles, directing that an officer eligible for a government staff car cannot be allotted more than one official vehicle, even if the officer is holding additional charge of another ministry, department, public sector undertaking (PSU) or autonomous body.
The Department of Expenditure, in a circular issued to all ministries and departments on Monday, also prohibited entitled officers from using vehicles belonging to PSUs and autonomous bodies, except while undertaking official tours.
The department called for strict compliance with the directions, stating that the measures are intended to improve the utilisation of government vehicles and prevent their misuse.
All government departments have also been instructed to ensure that vehicles which are not in use are kept in safe custody.
Officials described the directive as following the principle of “one officer, one official car”, aimed at preventing the unnecessary allocation and use of multiple government vehicles.
The latest instructions reinforce guidelines issued in September 2022, under which officers entitled to official cars may use them for personal travel of up to 500 kilometres a month by paying a monthly fee of Rs 3,000 and foregoing their standard monthly transport allowance.
