Govt to buy 50 Jeeps for DCs, UNOs

The government will purchase 50 Mitsubishi Pajero QX SUVs (Jeeps) for deputy commissioners (DCs) and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs).

Each vehicle will cost Tk1,69,35,000, bringing the total cost to around Tk84,67,50,000.

The Ministry of Public Administration has justified the purchase, stating that the vehicles are essential for maintaining administrative mobility, conducting mobile courts, and ensuring law and order across districts and upazilas.

According to sources, a request was made from the state-owned company Pragati Industries Limited to approve the purchase of 200 Jeeps at a cost of Tk 308.7 crore under the DPM method, as per rules 75 and 76 of PPR 2008, where each vehicle will cost Tk 1,69,35,000.

These expenses will be executed from Tk377 crore allocated by the Department of Government Transport for motor vehicle purchases in the budget of current FY 2024-25.

Earlier on July 31, 2023, the Ministry of Finance set the prices for various types of vehicles, determining the cost of each jeep under 2700cc (including registration, VAT, and taxes) at Tk1,46,20,000. Later on October 16, 2024, each vehicle was priced at Tk1,69,35,000 (including registration, VAT, and taxes).

Sources said that Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed Ahmed has approved the proposal to purchase 50 jeeps instead of 200 at a cost of Tk 84,67,50,000, each costing Tk1,69,35,000.