Our financial institutions prefer to allocate funds for new schemes and projects and often neglect requirements for their subsequent operation and maintenance. The politicians mostly use implementation of new schemes as an effective tool for gaining popularity.

Functionaries invite them to perform inauguration ceremonies to earn their favours. Dignitaries find time to participate in such ceremonies (arranged at enormous wasteful expenditure and time of the organizers) but pay little attention towards proper functioning of the existing institutions and usually ignore their implied inspection duties of the ongoing works. Hardly a surprise visit is made.

Publicity is the main objective whenever they rarely perform it. The defunct Karachi Circular Railway System is a distinct example of such neglect. The sluggish accountability process plays no effective role in curbing such evils.

This trend is detrimental to the economy of developing countries like Pakistan. Needless to mention that the feasibility reports of all the new schemes specifies the anticipated recurring and non-recurring expenditures.

High level competent authorities generally decide the award of construction contracts or the placing of purchase orders for the new projects. The field staff disburses the funds allocated for the operation and maintenance of the existing facilities.

Many schemes fail to serve their purpose mainly due to inadequate allocation of funds to meet the running expenditure. The temptation of misappropriation of fund may lead to corruption if the executives and the public representatives do not exercise the proper vigilance.

In the worst case the auditors may themselves be involved in mal practices. As a result the project or the schemes fail to serve their purpose or deliver anticipated benefits. The gradual erosion of the condition of assets and institutions therefore remain unchecked.

The public or concerned people under duress accept their degraded performance as a routine. Neglected maintenance of assets also shortens their useful life resulting in heavy capital losses specifically to the particular organization and in general to the whole nation.

Over period of time slackness tendencies are embedded in the attitude of workers and their supervisors inefficiency thus becoming the organizational culture.Private sector entrepreneurs however deal with such problems by adopting different methods.

Public institutions are the worst affected. The elite class of the society being able to influence and afford in different ways somehow avails the facilities thus making themselves immune to the inadequacies. The real sufferer is the common man - what to talk of the poor man?

These adversaries get compounded if the maintenance function is not managed properly. Competent and motivated staff, provision of necessary tools, well defined procedures, appropriately phased schedules, supportive documentation and information system, timely provision of necessary spares and consumable materials are some prerequisites for excellence in maintenance management.

There are many common aspects of the maintenance activity for various types of assets and setups. Consideration of weather effects, environmental issues and social factors are essential for developing effective management plans.

Training courses should be conducted for inducting awareness (in executives from the industry and public sector organizations) of basic concepts, general principles and good maintenance management practices.

We have a large unemployed work-force in Pakistan. It should be gainfully utilized. Maintenance activities and repair shops provide substantial job opportunities. Some of the imported equipment cannot be repaired locally. Many modem devices are use and discard type.

The technological evolution is reducing the economically viable period of various kinds of machinery, which becomes obsolete, much before the expiry of their useful life.

The lack of maintainability of modem appliances is adversely affecting the job opportunities. Extensive computerization of the production machinery or process has further aggravated the situation by substituting the many medium skill jobs with fewer high skill positions.

Pakistan has abundance of manpower. The local job market often does not pay the worker even the bare minimum wages. As a result the most of the competent work-force seek jobs abroad. Due lack of interest, fewer people are now seeking admission in technical institutes for learning traditional skills.

The quality of works done here is therefore deteriorating. We talk much of international quality standards of products but give less importance to the quality of life of the countrymen.

Economic austerity if applied in the real sense and investment in human resource development are key to success. Maintenance activity promotes local production of spare parts, which in turn paves ways to the import substitution and in the long run the local production of the entire device.

Maintain to the utmost quality whatever we build and get the maximum benefit from them by running to the optimum capacity for prolonged periods. Produce minimum waste by repair of the faulty equipment or recycling of used materials and by adequate inspections at all stages. We need to maintain for economic reasons. Repair properly and in time. Can we afford to do maintenance by replacement of assets (which we are virtually doing)?