Chennai, Oct 22:
Tamil Nadu government has fixed separate expenditure ceilings for cars to be provided to Ministers and legislators, with a maximum of ₹26 lakh for senior Assembly functionaries and ₹15 lakh for other MLAs.
The revised rules, notified in the State government gazette, cover Ministers, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Chief Government Whip and other legislators. The purchase ceiling will be increased by five per cent annually.
Under the revised arrangements, the government will procure vehicles for Ministers in its own name. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat will purchase vehicles for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Chief Government Whip and other MLAs in the name of its Secretary. The purchases will be made through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.
The Public Department will provide cars to Ministers and meet the expenses on maintenance, repairs, fuel and drivers. The Assembly Secretariat will make similar arrangements for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of the Opposition and Chief Government Whip.
Vehicles for other MLAs will be provided through the respective District Collectors. However, legislators will have to meet expenses on maintenance, repairs, fuel and drivers from their vehicle allowance.
The expenditure is estimated at ₹10.40 crore for 40 cars earmarked for senior functionaries at the ₹26-lakh ceiling. Another 194 cars, at a maximum of ₹15 lakh each, would involve an estimated ₹29.10 crore. The total estimated expenditure for 234 vehicles works out to ₹39.50 crore.
The rules also specify that vehicles must be returned when the occupants vacate office due to the end of their tenure, resignation, removal, disqualification or death. Ministers must surrender their vehicles to the government, while other designated functionaries and MLAs must return theirs to the Assembly Secretariat or the respective District Collectors, as applicable.
The car scheme was announced by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to facilitate constituency visits, public grievance redressal and the monitoring of government schemes. It has also triggered political debate over the cost of providing vehicles and the decision of some parties to decline the facility.