SRINAGAR, Sept. 30
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday directed the government to finalise and notify a new policy governing official vehicles within 15 days, criticising a delay of nearly five years and raising concerns over the use of multiple government vehicles beyond prescribed entitlements.
The direction followed a status report presented in the Assembly by Transport Minister Satish Sharma, who said the government would complete the necessary inter-departmental consultations and other formalities required to finalise the policy.
Rather had earlier sought the report after taking note of the prolonged delay in framing the new Car Policy during the ongoing Assembly session.
“The new Car Policy should be finalised and notified within 15 days. This matter should not be allowed to remain pending any further,” Rather said.
He linked the need for a revised policy to complaints about the use of government vehicles, saying clear and updated rules were necessary to determine who was entitled to official transport and under what conditions.
“The complaints regarding misuse of public resources are a matter of serious concern and underscore the need for clear and updated rules governing the entitlement and use of Government vehicles,” he said.
Rather said the use of multiple official vehicles beyond an individual’s prescribed entitlement could be regarded as misuse of public resources.
He made clear, however, that his intervention was not directed against government officers or their legitimate requirements. Officials should receive the vehicles and facilities to which they are entitled under the applicable rules, he said.
The issue, according to the Speaker, was ensuring that those entitlements were clearly defined and consistently applied.
The proposed policy has remained under consideration for almost five years, with the matter repeatedly moving between government departments.
Rather questioned why the process had taken so long despite the government having already accepted in principle the need for a new policy.
He also questioned why the proposal needed to be sent back to the Finance Department after passing through earlier stages of consideration.
The Speaker’s intervention places a specific deadline on a process that until now had remained tied up in inter-departmental consultations.
Sharma told the Assembly that the Transport Department would undertake the necessary consultations and complete the formalities required for finalisation. Rather responded that the matter should no longer be allowed to remain pending.
At the centre of the proposed policy is the question of entitlement.
Government vehicles are provided to officials and functionaries according to their responsibilities and applicable administrative rules. Rather said a comprehensive policy should clearly establish those entitlements and govern the use of vehicles purchased and maintained from public funds.
His comments also drew a distinction between legitimate official use and the possession or use of vehicles beyond authorised limits.
The Speaker did not argue against providing transport to officials whose work requires it. Instead, he said the rules should establish clearly what each category of government functionary is entitled to receive.
Such clarity, he argued, would help ensure the judicious use of public resources while protecting legitimate administrative requirements.
The government has not yet disclosed the detailed provisions expected to form part of the new policy.
The status report presented by the Transport Minister indicated that consultations between departments remain necessary before the document can be formally approved and notified.
It is therefore not yet clear whether the new framework will alter existing vehicle entitlements, introduce additional controls over allocation and usage, or establish new monitoring mechanisms.
Rather’s direction concerns the completion and notification of the policy within the prescribed period rather than any particular provisions it must contain.
The five-year delay emerged as a central concern during the Assembly discussion.
Rather said a matter involving the use of public resources should not continue moving indefinitely between departments, particularly after the government had accepted the need for reform.
The 15-day deadline now puts responsibility on the administration to resolve the remaining departmental issues and convert the proposal into an enforceable policy.
Once notified, the new framework is expected to provide updated rules governing entitlement to and use of government vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir.
Until the policy is finalised, however, its precise effect on ministers, senior officials and other government functionaries cannot be established.
Rather’s intervention has shifted the issue from an open-ended administrative process to one with a defined deadline. The government now has 15 days to complete the consultations, settle the policy and formally notify the new rules governing official vehicles.
