ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) will conduct a `special’ audit of the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), focusing on fuel consumption, vehicle mileage and repair and maintenance of machinery, after a surprise inspection by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) flagged serious gaps in fleet management and record-keeping.
According to an official correspondence, the CMIT conducted surprise inspection of the Suthra Punjab Programme in Lahore last month (Sept 8 and 9) on the direction of the Chief Minister.
In its report, the inspection team recommended that the administrative department arrange a special audit of the LWMC, particularly in fuel consumption, mileage and repair/maintenance of machinery.
The Local Government & Community Department, in a letter dated Oct 20, 2026, signed by Section Officer (Companies) Muhammad Aslam Nadeem, requested that an audit team be deployed at the earliest to conduct the special audit. The letter recalled that CMIT chairman had submitted recommendations and that the chief minister had desired that the administrative department attend to the findings and take further necessary action, especially the conduct of the special audit.
Earlier probe by CMIT detected serious gaps in fleet management, record-keeping
The CMIT report, signed by Chairman Salman Ijaz on Oct 2, and subsequently endorsed by the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sajid Zafar Dall on Oct 9 and Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman on Oct 11, noted multiple deficiencies during physical inspection of vehicles parked at Outfall Road and Thokar parking yard/workshop.
It said the Deputy CEO of LWMC informed the team that repair and maintenance of vehicles is carried out by the LWMC itself. However, several vehicles were found non-functional for months. A number of unserviceable vehicles were also parked at the yard/workshop. The Deputy CEO said most vehicles were handed over by the predecessor company, Al-Burak, in 2021, and that Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) had been removed by the predecessor company, rendering the vehicles non-functional.
As many as 291 vehicles are proposed for auction. The auction process could not be processed earlier because the case was in litigation with international contractors.
The inspection also found that records relating to engine oil changes, repairs and maintenance were being maintained manually. No computerised or digital system for recording and monitoring such maintenance activities was in place.
At LWMC’s control room, the team checked real-time positioning of compactors, loader rickshaws, containers and mechanical sweepers/washers through the vehicle tracking system. For vehicles parked at workshops for repairs for about 15 days, the tracking system showed the same vehicles as “non-reporting” for around two months. The significant gap between the non-reporting period and recorded arrival at the workshop could not be explained, indicating a lag in the vehicle tracking system and workshop records that requires reconciliation. The inspection team also monitored attendance of Suthra Punjab Programme staff through the “Lean Punjab Monitoring App.”
The CMIT recommended that the administrative department arrange a special audit of LWMC, especially fuel consumption, mileage and repair/maintenance, and expedite the auction of condemned vehicles.
It also recommended installing a centralised digital Vehicle Maintenance Management System (VMMS) to maintain vehicle-wise records of repairs, servicing, oil changes, spare parts replacement and costs.
The Suthra Punjab Authority was asked to put in place an effective monitoring mechanism to check fuel pilferage and expenditure on repair/maintenance.
Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2026
