LANDI KOTAL: The only fire engine of Khyber Rescue department has been out of order owing to lack of maintenance and shortage of funds for more than three months, according to sources.

They said that the fire tender machine developed some technical fault in June last and since then it remained unutilised. The office of Khyber Rescue department is situated in Jamrud.

Having about 12-member staff, the department was established some two and a half years ago by the then political agent Shahab Ali Shah with the provision of a fire tender and an ambulance.

Sources said that alongside the fire engine, the air conditioning system of the ambulance was also not working since long, causing inconvenience to the patients being shifted to hospitals during emergency in hot weather.

They said that the previous political administration had made the then assistant line officer of Khasadar Force head of the rescue team.

They said that the official was also tasked to arrange for monthly expenses of around Rs50,000 from his “own resources”.

“He used to collect the required amount from various checkposts in Jamrud to pay monthly salaries to the staff and maintain the two vehicles,” sources told Dawn.

The team faced financial problems and could not keep both the vehicles in running condition after the assistant line officer was removed from the post during routine reshuffling of khasadars but he was asked to continue looking after the rescue staff and the vehicles with no financial resources.

The team had to hire private water tankers on at least two occasions during the last two months it was alerted about breaking out of fire in two different localities of Jamrud as its own vehicle was out of order, sources said.

They said that the present political administration was yet to release funds for the repair of both the vehicles.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2016