The Sindh government has approved the purchase of 138 luxury double-cabin vehicles for assistant commissioners throughout the province, as reported on Wednesday.

According to reliable sources, the services, general administration, and coordination department sent a request to the finance department for approximately Rs2 billion to fund this procurement.

Sources indicated that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had authorized the vehicle purchase earlier this week before his trip to the United States for a week.

This significant expenditure for the vehicles comes despite the provincial government’s decision to forgo any new development projects in the Annual Development Programme for the 2024-25 fiscal year due to financial limitations.

The section officer in the budget of the services department forwarded an approved summary from the Sindh chief minister to the finance department, indicating that the CM had granted “permission to procure 138 vehicles (4x4 Double Cabin) for Assistant Commissioners using the existing budget allocation.”

The communication stated: “The Finance Department, Government of Sindh, is therefore requested to release the total withheld funds amounting to Rs1,991,892,000 allocated under the account SC2114(114)-Board of Revenue-A09501-Purchase of Transport.

These funds should be placed at the disposal of the Senior Member, Board of Revenue, Sindh, to facilitate the centralized procurement of the 138 vehicles (4x4 Double Cabin) for Assistant Commissioners during the current financial year, 2024-25, in accordance with rules and policy.“

A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s House, Rasheed Channa, informed Dawn that the funds for purchasing vehicles for assistant commissioners were included and approved in the provincial budget. He noted that this is the first vehicle procurement for assistant commissioners in 12 years, with the last purchase occurring in 2012.

Channa emphasized that this expenditure is essential, as vehicles are needed for official duties, particularly in rural areas. Additionally, sources indicated that even more expensive vehicles would be acquired for deputy commissioners throughout the province.

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The provincial president of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Haleem Adil Sheikh, criticized the Sindh government’s decision to allocate Rs2 billion in the provincial budget for purchasing expensive vehicles for assistant commissioners in a message on the social media platform ‘X.’

He highlighted that many families were displaced and crops were damaged due to recent floods in the province. Instead of assisting those in need, he lamented that the Sindh government was making “royal decisions.” He questioned whether it was more important to provide vehicles for assistant commissioners or to support the flood victims in the province.