The Odisha Forest Department is under investigation after spending Rs 5 crore to modify 51 Mahindra Thar SUVs that originally cost Rs 7 crore to purchase. That's roughly Rs 9.8 lakh per vehicle in modifications alone, which comes out to more than 70 percent of what each Thar cost in the first place. State officials are now asking whether all that extra spending was actually necessary.
What Happened Here
The department bought these 51 Thars during the 2024-25 financial year at about Rs 14 lakh each. Pretty standard pricing for a capable off-roader. But then came the modifications. We're talking specialized off-road tires, extra lighting systems, cameras for surveillance and documentation, and sirens for emergency response. The department says these additions were essential for forest fire prevention, wildlife protection operations, and getting staff into remote border areas where roads basically don't exist.
Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia announced the probe this week. He's not saying the modifications were wrong outright, just that the government needs to verify everything was justified and proportionate. If anything looks fishy or excessive, there will be consequences.
Why This Raises Questions
Here's the thing: The Thar is already built for rough terrain. That's literally its whole selling point. So when you're spending nearly as much on modifications as you did on the vehicle itself, people start wondering if you bought the right vehicle to begin with. Critics are asking a fair question: If you needed Rs 9.8 lakh worth of upgrades per unit, wouldn't a different model or spec have made more sense from day one?
Government procurement rules typically require detailed justification when modification costs balloon like this. The investigation will dig into whether proper approvals were obtained and if everything followed financial regulations. Did someone sign off on this properly? Was there a bidding process for the modification work? Those are the questions that need answers.
The Department's Defense
To be fair, forest department officials aren't exactly working in easy conditions. Many of India's forested regions have brutal terrain, zero infrastructure, and situations that demand specialized equipment. You can't just roll up in a stock SUV and expect to handle forest fires, track poachers, or patrol wildlife corridors effectively.
The Thar has become popular with forest departments nationwide precisely because it's tough, relatively affordable to maintain, and can handle serious off-road abuse. The department argues that cameras help document illegal logging, extra lights are crucial for night patrols, and specialized tires prevent getting stuck in remote areas where backup isn't coming anytime soon.
Still, Rs 9.8 lakh in add-ons per vehicle is substantial. That money could've gone toward additional vehicles, staff training, or other equipment.
What This Means Going Forward
This investigation could set a precedent for how government departments handle vehicle procurement across India. If the probe finds everything was above board and genuinely necessary, other agencies might feel more confident making similar modifications for specialized work. But if irregularities turn up, expect much tighter oversight on future purchases.
For Mahindra, this probably isn't great publicity even though the Thar itself isn't the issue here. The vehicle performed its job. The question is about how much extra kit got bolted on afterward and whether proper procedures were followed.
The outcome matters because government vehicle purchases are massive business in India, and transparency in how public money gets spent is always going to be scrutinized. Forest departments need capable vehicles. Nobody disputes that. But they also need to show taxpayers that every rupee spent was necessary and properly approved.
We'll see what the investigation turns up.
