Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has regulated the use of official vehicles in view of “fuel and energy challenges” due to the West Asia crisis, mandating that only those officials in the rank of special secretary are entitled to an independent vehicle for official purposes.
A memorandum by the finance department on Thursday stated that officers promoted to the rank of additional secretary on or after June 1 should use official vehicles on a pool basis.
“They should become eligible for an independent vehicle only upon completion of three years of service in the rank of additional secretary,” it said.
However, this shall “not apply to officers in the rank of additional secretary who, despite not having completed three years in the rank, have already been allotted an independent vehicle for official use on or before May 31”.
The memorandum also stated that officers in the rank of under secretary to joint secretary working in administrative departments, as well as officers of equivalent rank working as heads of departments, may be provided with pool vehicles.
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At least two to three officers should share one pool vehicle, it said.
According to the memorandum, the instructions have been issued “in view of the prevailing fuel and energy challenges arising from the recent West Asia crisis”.
“The monthly deduction for the use of an official pool vehicle should be Rs 1,680, irrespective of the officer’s rank, as prescribed in the Finance Department memorandum,” an official said.
While on official visits to distant locations within the state, the officers should, as far as practicable, use buses or trains instead of using official vehicles.
“These instructions shall apply ‘mutatis mutandis’ (with the necessary changes having been made) to all state government undertakings, autonomous institutions, universities and societies across the state,” the memorandum said.
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