Costly machinery and vehicles seem to have been abandoned at KMC's Mewa Shah machinery pool to turn them into scrape within next few months. This was what Business Recorder witnessed during a visit there on Tuesday. The rusted non-operational machinery shows negligence on part of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
This scribe saw a large fleet of currently non-operational sanitary vehicles such as road sweeping machines, dumpers, trucks, rollers, excavators, tractor loaders, cranes, etc, at the dumping yard.
These neglected multi-million vehicles, if repaired and overhauled, can help the resource-starved KMC to improve its working efficiency in lifting garbage, clearing nullahs, extinguishing infernos and removing rainwater from the city roads.
Out of its total Rs26.43 billion budget outlay for the fiscal year 2019-2020, KMC has allocated Rs3.32 billion budget for municipal services department. However, the much-needed repair work of non-operational vehicles is not seen anywhere in the priority list of the corporation as it has earmarked no special funds for the very purpose, in this budget.
Sources at the parking facility said that around 170 out of the total 250 vehicles of different kinds are currently abandoned due to faults, while the remaining 80 operational vehicles also need repair work. A number of components and parts have been stolen due to lack of security arrangements.
"Most of these vehicles are of 2006 model, which can be made operational if their maintenance work is carried out on priority basis," said a source. The other one said rust would further destroy them as 20 tractors had already been scraped due to years-long negligence by the officials concerned. Seven out of nine cranes and 12 out of 20 search carriers are out of order.
The officials said they had submitted a proposal to the deputy mayor to seek maintenance cost of Rs 1 million for each vehicle. They said if the proposal was accepted and funds were released, work would begin at once through experts, technicians and engineers.
The insiders complained that the KMC failed to provide offices for the staff at the biggest machinery pool. Drivers of faulty vehicles are performing duties on rotation as no designated security guard has been deployed at the dumping yard.
A senior KMC official, who wished not to be named, said the corporation lacks interest in repair work. Rather, the civic body is interested in hiring third party contractors through tendering to run its affairs. He said that clearance of drains and lifting of debris of buildings which were demolished during the anti-encroachment operation in the metropolis were being carried out by contractors. Despite having trained staff at the municipal services, he said, a contractor was hired for maintenance of some vehicles. He exclaimed why the department was paying salaries to 230 employees of the said department, if their assignment is being done through contractors.
Meanwhile, senior director Municipal Services Noman Arshad admitted that several mechanical sweepers and other heavy vehicles are lying abandoned in open sky without shades; however, he said a summary had been moved to Sindh government, seeking Rs500 million for the maintenance of the vehicles.
He said his department is unable to start work because of shortage of funds as most of the Rs 3.3 billion budget of the department goes to staff salaries and other administrative expenses.
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