300 vehicles cleared for election use, no cars for future ministers: Advisor Salehuddin

The advisor says some duty-free cars for former MPs at Chattogram Port will go to the transport pool

Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed has said 300 vehicles will be purchased for use in the national election, rejecting media reports of 60 cars being bought for future ministers.

Speaking after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase on Tuesday, he said no such proposal for ministerial vehicles was approved and the reports were “incorrect”.

Salehuddin clarified that the approved vehicles are intended for field-level use to ensure smooth election operations, as many government vehicles are in “poor condition and unfit for deployment” during polls.

He said, “Where did you get the news that I approved cars for future ministers? That is not correct. The Ministry of Public Administration had submitted a proposal, which I stopped.”

Expressing frustration over the reports, the advisor said: “Do not ask questions without knowing the facts. Public Administration proposed some field-level vehicles for the election. Vehicles can break down during elections, and we will not allow that. I do not recall the exact number, but we have approved about 300 cars. It has nothing to do with the 60 cars mentioned.”

He also said several duty-free vehicles imported for MPs of the now-dissolved parliament have been seized at Chattogram Port.

The government plans to acquire these through auction and add them to the transport pool instead of selling them at undervalued prices, he added.

“Sixty duty-free cars have been seized at Chattogram Port. Among them are 30 to 40 imported for MPs, each worth Tk 50–60 million. But when NBR moved to auction them, the bids were only Tk 1 million. I told the NBR chairman there is no need to sell them. These should be added to the transport pool,” Salehuddin said.

When asked about the type of cars being purchased for the election, he said: “Some utility vehicles and some microbuses have been approved. They are mainly for UNOs and assistant commissioners (land).”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the committee also cleared funds for procurement of fertiliser, LNG, and several infrastructure development projects.

The advisor said, “We’ve approved construction of schools and shelters in Lalmonirhat. Some elevated roads in the Haor regions have also been cleared. These will connect Jamalpur and Habiganj.

“These are not like the Mithamoin bridge. These won’t block water flow. They’ve been designed to run alongside rivers.”

The meeting agenda showed that under the Local Government Ministry’s “Haor Area Elevated Roads and Physical Infrastructure Development Project,” work on package no. 18 in Jamalganj Upazila, Sunamganj district, has been approved, with an estimated cost of Tk 3.7 billion.

Speaking about his recent Japan visit, Salehuddin said Japan remains Bangladesh’s largest donor, with several projects including metro rail currently underway.

“I held talks with JICA and ADB representatives, Japan’s finance minister, and the minister of trade and industry. Discussions also covered an Economic Partnership Agreement, and Japan has shown keen interest,” he said.

He noted that Chief Muhammad Yunus’s plan to send 100,000 workers to Japan was also raised during the trip.

Salehuddin said, “Japan’s condition is the language. They will take workers in agro-processing, directly, not through brokers. Nepal has already sent 250,000 workers.

“We are moving slowly because our training is slow. Once they learn Japanese, jobs will be available,” he added.