I am a 1300cc Toyota Corolla, one of the 150,000 or so government cars purchased with funds extracted from the taxpayers. The story of our life is almost identical — purchased unethically, used mercilessly, treated callously, fueled illegally, maintained negligently and driven rashly. I will however hold back my grievances, pain and tears (read oil leaks) and briefly narrate my life history and the experiences that constitute a day in the life of a government vehicle.

I was born 14 years ago, on 30 June 2010 to be exact, the last day of the financial year 2010. It was a case of a ‘C- section’ delivery, as I had to be delivered (read purchased) in an emergency to prevent lapse of the unused budget. As there was not enough time to first create a vacancy and a job designation of an official whose grade or task justified a government car, it was decided to buy me against an anonymous non-existent official called ‘District Coordination Officer’. Although no such designation existed........

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