Condemnation Testing Committee for Public Auction of Old Vehicles

Government of West Bengal
Transport Department
Writers’ Buildings, Kolkata-1

No. 5193-WT/TR/O/2M-12/2003 Dated, Kolkata, the 24/29th November, 2004.

MEMORANDUM

Sub: Revised guidelines determining procedures for condemnation and disposal of state Government Vehicles.

In supersession of all previous orders in the matter of procedures for declaration of State Government vehicles as ‘condemned’ and disposal of the same, the Governor has been pleased to approve the undernoted revised guidelines to be followed in respect of every government vehicle owned by different Departments or Directorates before the same is condemned:-

2. Henceforth the Principal Secretary/ Secretary of the Department shall be the Competent Authority to declare a State Government vehicle owned by them as ‘condemned’ and dispose of the same on the recommendation of the ‘Condemnation Testing Committee’ to be formed for such purpose by the Departments as per the following guidelines, at the State level or at the district level.
3. Such ‘Condemnation Testing Committee’ shall consist of at least three members, the Chairman of the committee should be the nominee of the concerned department at the State level, while at the district level the Principal Officer of the concerned Department shall be the Chairman. Another member shall be a Technical Expert of the Transport Department to be nominated by the Transport Department in respect of offices located in Kolkata and in the case of Districts such nomination shall be made by the concerned District Magistrate. Such committee should preferably have one Accounts Officer or, if no such officer is available, a Group ‘A’ officer of the scale of pay of Rs. 8000 – Rs. 13,500/- as a Member, to be nominated by the District Magistrate at the district level and by the concerned department at the State level.
4. When it is found that a considerable amount is being spent to maintain a vehicle so as to make any repair uneconomic or when a vehicle has become un-roadworthy and the same has achieved the minimum requirement of service to be rendered by it as per G.O. No. 5077-WT dated 16.11.04 of this department, the same should be referred to such ‘Condemnation Testing Committee’ for opinion.
5. The Condemnation Testing Committee’ after consideration of the relevant data (viz. age, kilometers covered, costs of repair etc.), Government guidelines and the physical condition of the vehicle as per proforma annexed hereto as ‘Annexure-1’, will take a decision as regards its condemnability and will submit the recommendation along with the ‘Floor/ Reserve Price’ (if condemnation is recommended) in the form of resolution. The minutes of the meeting of the committee should contain a ‘speaking analysis’ of the “Floor/ Reserve Price”. A statement in the following proforma along with the report on physical inspection as per ‘Annexure-I’ are required to be sent along with the recommendation of the committee :-

[(a) Registration no. of the vehicle, (b) Type of vehicle, (c) Kilometer covered, (d) Particulars of major repairs exceeding Rs. 5000/- undertaken in the last three financial years (with no. of such occasions and the cost involved on each occasion), (f) period of non-use due to un-roadworthiness, (g) action taken to make roadworthy, (h) whether involved in any accident, (i) Floor/ Reserve price recommended, and (j) remarks, if any.]

6. On consideration of the recommendation of the ‘Condemnation Testing Committee’ the Principal Secretary/ Secretary of the Department may declare a vehicle ‘condemned’ for disposal and steps for disposal of the same through public auction shall be taken. A notice regarding such auction of the ‘condemned’ vehicle will have to be published in two dailies, one English and another Bengali, at least 15 days before the date of the auction.
7. The vehicle so put in auction will be disposed of in favour of the bidder quoting highest price above the ‘Floor/ Reserve Price’ and the sale proceeds thereof shall be deposited with the Government under appropriate ‘Receipt Head of Account.
8. In case the highest price offered at such auction falls short of more than 5% of the ‘Floor/ Reserve Price’ even after second auction, the vehicle can only be disposed of with the concurrence of the Finance Department, after evaluating adequate justification.
9. Transport Department will monitor the condemnations of the Government vehicles approved by various ‘Condemnation Testing Committee’ of the state by building up a date-base on the reserve price so fixed by the committees and the prices fetched after auction. For this purpose the concerned departments / directorates will send necessary information as per proforma mentioned at paragraph 5 above mentioning also the auction price at which the vehicle was disposed of in the ‘Remarks’ item.
10. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Department vide their U.O. No. Group ‘R’ 426 dated 02.11.2004.

Sd/- Sumantra Choudhury
Principal Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal

No. 5193-WT dated 29.11.2004