Sanitation vehicles left to rust

Newly procured solid-waste vehicles deteriorate amid neglect, theft and administrative delays

RAWALPINDI:

Under the Punjab Chief Minister's Suthra Punjab (Clean Punjab) Programme, 25 to 30 newly procured and highly expensive solid-waste collection vehicles meant for various city and tehsil areas of Rawalpindi Division have been left idle for months behind the District Courts Facilitation Centre and the District Council Hall.

Owing to neglect, these vehicles have begun to deteriorate and show signs of rust, while parts are reportedly being stolen, allegedly with the involvement of thieves and even some government employees.

According to sources, new tyres have been removed from several vehicles and replaced with worn-out ones. Parked in the open without any protection, the vehicles have been exposed to intense sunlight and rain. For the past four months, no cleaning or maintenance has been carried out, leaving them covered in filth.

Lawyers' chambers and staff from nearby government offices have reportedly started dumping garbage, leftover spoiled food, fruit waste and peanut shells into these vehicles. The fleet includes tractors, trolleys, small Mazda trucks and Suzuki pickup-style sanitation vehicles. These green-coloured vehicles prominently display photographs of Maryam Nawaz along with the Suthra Punjab slogan. Continuous exposure to rainwater, wastewater thrown by passers-by, garbage and decaying fruit remains has accelerated corrosion.

The vehicles were procured for the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) and were to be distributed by the district administration among sanitation companies operating in all tehsils of the district. Ironically, most of the vehicles currently being used to transport waste to the central dumping ground — located nearly 100 kilometres away — are unserviceable.

These old vehicles often leak foul, decomposed waste and contaminated water during transit. The newly purchased vehicles could have been deployed to replace the defective fleet.

With the onset of the winter rainy season in Rawalpindi, concerns have intensified that the abandoned vehicles may deteriorate further at a rapid pace. Batteries from several vehicles have already been stolen.

The area becomes completely deserted after 5pm, and after sunset it is left in near-total isolation, making theft of batteries, spare parts and other components from these unattended and valuable vehicles extremely easy.

A spokesperson for the Deputy Commissioner's Office stated that all the vehicles were received under the Suthra Punjab project and would be handed over as soon as any sanitation company formally requests them.