The decision, which is a reversal of the `car pool' policy of his predecessor Bansi Lal, allows all IAS officers in the super time scale (18,400-500-22,400) to have separate airconditioned cars. The largesse, orders for which were issued by Chief Secretary earlier this month, will benefit at least 70 IAS officers in the rank of Commissioner/Secretary and above.

There are 94 officers in the super time scale in the state, 24 of them are either on deputation with the Centre or on long leave. The facility of separate cars had been withdrawn by the Bansi Lal Government, which made it mandatory for all IAS officers holding the rank of Commissioner and Secretary,to share cars. Under the `car pool' policy, three officers were to share one airconditioned car.

While there were allegations that the policy had been framed by Bansi Lal to deny the facility of an airconditioned car to S C Chaudhary, a 1977 batch IAS officer of the rank of Commissioner and Secretary, the government had denied this. The decision was a part of the austerity drive aimed at reducing expenditure, it insisted.

Under the policy revised by the Chautala Government, all the IAS officers holding the rank of Financial Commissioner will be entitled to separate cars from the pool maintained in the office of Financial Commissioner, Revenue. The officers in the super time scale, who are posted as heads of department or managing director of any board/ corporation, will get cars from their respective departments, where other officers, posted as Commissioner and Secretary to various departments, have been permitted to use AC cars of the department under their control.