Senior officials at the Home Ministry said it has already been weeks since they wrote separately to former ministers and other politicians to help implement the directives of the Public Accounts Committee and State Affairs Committee of parliament in this regard, but no one has returned the vehicles to the ministry as yet. [break]
Amidst a growing tendency of former ministers and others with political clout acquiring government vehicles for personal use, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee a month ago directed the ministry to withdraw all government vehicles that are being used against criteria set by the ministry.
It had also asked the ministry not to let ministers take with them when they leave office the vehicles they had been using while in office.
The State Affairs Committee had also issued similar directives to various ministries including home to recover the ´misused´ government vehicles and personal security officers (PSOs) at the earliest.
Officials said they have written to former home ministers Purna Bahadur Khadka, K P Sharma Oli, Bam Dev Gautam and Bhim Rawal to return the government vehicles they have been ´misusing´.
It has already been three years since Khadka, Oli and Gautam left office. Gautam and Rawal have been asked to return luxury vehicles they purchased with state money while in office and took with them after they left office. The three-year period during which this facility is allowed is also due to expire in the case of former home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula.
The then government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba decided on December 6, 2004 to provide vehicles and security personnel to former prime ministers, deputy prime ministers and home ministers in view of the Maoist threat. The practice continues even after the formal end of the Maoist conflict in 2006.
The Home Ministry provides a former prime minister two vehicles (one for security personnel), a driver, two personal security officers (PSOs) from Nepal Police and 13 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, and 200 liters of petrol a month.
Likewise, former deputy prime ministers and home ministers are provided two PSOs from Nepal Police, seven APF, one driver, two vehicles and 200 liters of petrol a month.
While former prime ministers are given vehicles and other facilities life-long, former home ministers are entitled to such facilities for a period of three years beginning from the time they leave office.
Nevertheless, the former prime ministers and ministers are not allowed to take with them whatever vehicles they want, unlike the current practice of taking vehicle they were using while in office.
The ministry has also written to CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel and former lawmaker and central level leader Amaresh Kumar Singh, who acquired government vehicles and PSOs because of his political clout, to return the state facilities.
“We are surprised that none of the leaders has shown readiness to return the vehicles,” said a senior official asking to remain unnamed.
“If they have moral integrity they should have returned the vehicles soon after the parliamentary committees issued the directives. But this has not happened yet,” the official further said.
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