Thiruvananthapuram, 25 Oct (H.S.): The Kerala government has permitted five ministers to use private vehicles for official travel, subject to conditions that exclude government reimbursement of fuel, maintenance and other expenses, according to information disclosed by the General Administration Department.

Industries Minister and Indian Union Muslim League leader P K Kunhalikutty has received permission to use three private vehicles fitted with the number plate of his official vehicle. The department also approved applications submitted by ministers Ramesh Chennithala, P K Basheer, K M Shaji and V E Abdul Gafoor.

The details emerged in the department’s response to an application filed under the Right to Information Act, seeking information about permission granted to ministers to use privately owned vehicles for official purposes.

Under the conditions specified in the orders, the official number plate may be displayed on a private vehicle only while the minister is travelling in it. The permission does not extend to displaying the plate when the vehicle is being used without the minister.

The department has also made clear that the government will not bear the fuel expenditure or pay for repairs, maintenance and other costs associated with these vehicles. Although the vehicles may carry official number plates during ministerial travel, their operating expenses will remain outside government funding.

The disclosure comes against the backdrop of an earlier controversy involving Shaji’s use of a private vehicle as his official car. At the time, he had not obtained prior permission from the General Administration Department to display the official number plate on the vehicle.

Following the controversy, Shaji returned the private car to the friend who had provided it.

The latest approvals set out the conditions governing such arrangements, making permission conditional on the minister’s presence in the vehicle and clarifying that the use of an official number plate carries no reimbursement entitlement.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman