Pool vehicle cause of controversy in Bhutanese politics

The opposition party has taken stand against the government’s decision to lift pool vehicle quota for government employees as a measure to cut government cost.

The opposition statement comes after the government formed the pay commission with additional responsibility to look into discontinuing pool vehicle system and replacing it with a system of allowances instead.

The government assumes the replacement will not affect government revenue while increasing the salary of the government employees.

Until two years back, the country had over 5,000 vehicles in its pooling fleet.

The former government in 2011 had increased salary of the government employees by up to 65 percent. However, salary hike was one of the several commitments made by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during election.