New cars planned for incoming ministers

Although the date for the upcoming national election has yet to be finalised, the public administration ministry has already begun the process of procuring new vehicles for future ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, advisers, and individuals holding equivalent ranks in the next government.

An inter-ministerial meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, to be chaired by senior secretary of the public administration ministry, Mokhlesur Rahman. Officials from the Chief Adviser's Office, the finance ministry, and other relevant government departments are expected to attend.

Interim government sources have indicated that the next parliamentary election may take place between February and April 2026. Several advisers have recently told the media that the chief adviser will soon announce a specific election date.

A senior official at the public administration ministry, speaking to TBS on condition of anonymity, said preparations are underway to procure vehicles for ministers and high-level officials, assuming elections will be held in February. 

He noted that administrative steps, followed by approval from the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase, will take time, which is why the process is beginning now.

Meanwhile, the housing and public works ministry has also started searching for new residences in Dhaka for the future prime minister and cabinet members. A high-level committee formed under the ministry visited several locations and submitted a report on 20 July with recommendations on housing arrangements for the next government.

Earlier in May, the public administration ministry had proposed purchasing 25 vehicles for advisers and minister-level officials and submitted it for approval to the Economic Affairs Adviser Committee. However, the committee, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, rejected the proposal and returned it.

According to demand from the Cabinet Division, the public administration ministry is responsible for providing vehicles for ministers and state ministers. The Government Transport Department under the ministry handles procurement and maintenance of these vehicles.

A Government Transport Department official told TBS that there are no fixed rules or legal provisions regarding how long ministers and state ministers can use a vehicle. A government circular issued in the 1980s mentions that official vehicles should be replaced every 10 years.

He noted that no new vehicles have been purchased for ministers or state ministers since 2016, making the existing fleet about nine years old. Advisers and others with similar rank are currently using those vehicles as well.

Ahead of the 2024 national election in December, the public administration ministry proposed purchasing 20 Mercedes-Benz cars for the prime minister, president, other VVIPs, and foreign delegates. Each car was priced at around Tk3.5 crore. The ministry also planned to procure 50 Toyota Camry hybrid sedans for cabinet members, each costing about Tk1.05 crore.

The ministry had requested funds from the finance ministry for these purchases, but the proposals were rejected due to foreign currency reserve constraints and the government's austerity policy.

Previously, in May 2018, the government bought 30 Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles for transporting guests attending the 45th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Dhaka. After the event, several BMW cars were allocated to senior cabinet members, five vehicles were assigned to the foreign ministry, and the rest were transferred to the government transport pool for state protocol and official use.