PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved a transport monetization policy for judicial officers, with monthly transport allowances set to take effect from October 1.
According to a notification issued by the Finance Department, district and sessions judges will receive a monthly transport allowance of Rs195,000, while additional district and sessions judges will receive Rs175,000.
Senior civil judges will be entitled to Rs150,000 per month, while civil judges will receive Rs100,000 under the policy.
The policy gives judicial officers the first option to purchase the government vehicles currently assigned to them, excluding Toyota Fortuners, at depreciated prices. Vehicles not purchased by officers will be handed over to the relevant provincial government departments.
Under the notification, vehicle prices will be reduced by 15% during the first year and by 10% in each subsequent year. However, the depreciated value cannot fall below 55% of the vehicle’s original price.
Officers opting to purchase their official vehicles will have Rs50,000 deducted from their salaries each month, with the remaining amount to be recovered before retirement.
The policy also allows officers to retain their drivers, subject to a monthly salary deduction of Rs30,000. If an officer does not retain the driver, the position will be abolished from the sanctioned strength of the district judiciary and transferred to the surplus pool.
Vehicles purchased under the monetization scheme will not be permitted to use green number plates.
The notification states that the transport allowance may be increased if fuel prices rise by an average of 20% continuously over a six-month period.
However, the allowance may be reduced with the approval of the provincial cabinet in case of an exceptional decline in federal financial transfers or a financial crisis.
Any administrative or procedural issues arising during implementation will be resolved through consultation between the Finance Department, Peshawar High Court, Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Department, and the relevant administrative departments.