PESHAWAR, Dec 10: The provincial branch of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) was constructing a permanent warehouse on the outskirts of Peshawar at a site which the society itself considered unsuitable for storing goods of humanitarian assistance, sources said.
The society had built a warehouse at Taru Jabba in Nowshera district adjacent to the Grand Trunk Road in 2008-09 that was burnt to ashes in June 2010. The German Red Cross provided Rs9 million for the construction of permanent warehouse to cater to the needs and requirements of the province.
The suitability of the site for the construction of warehouse at Bab-i-Qadeem (Taru Jabba) can be gauged from the fact that PRCS flouted an advertisement in the local newspapers about auctioning of the site, but no party showed interest in it.
“Logistically and from security point of view, construction of warehouse at Bab-i-Qadeem is not feasible despite the fact that the site was approved for construction of warehouse in 2008,” said an official.
Well-placed sources said that instead of constructing a permanent structure for storing relief goods at Taru Jabba, a 10-foot high boundary wall was constructed around a five-kanal plot and a two-room rest house was constructed there.
The PRCS erected about five rub-halls for storing equipment, machines and relief goods worth Rs700 million donated by Spanish Red Cross and other national societies from European countries. In June 2010, fire erupted in the warehouse and the entire goods stored in the rub-halls were reduced to ashes.
The then governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also president of PRCS provincial branch, ordered inquiry into the incident. The governor inspection team conducted the inquiry and declared the incident an act of sabotage. The warehouse where relief items worth millions of rupees were stored was without proper security and fire fighting system.
PRCS provincial chairman Dr Sher Mohammad Khan through an internal memo had also expressed serious reservations over dumping of expensive relief goods and lack of facilities at the warehouse.
“Items worth millions of rupees were received by PRCS provincial branch. However the chairman, committee members, account officer and other relevant personnel were not informed. No proper precautionary measures were taken regarding security, fire fighting and taking items on stock register etc,” the chairman said in an internal memo issued in July 2011.
Sources said that PRCS provincial management had to construct warehouse at the same location owing to non-availability of space in and around the provincial capital.
“Search committee could not find appropriate site therefore it has been decided to establish permanent storage facility at Bab-i-Qadeem,” said an official. He added that the warehouse required about 32,000 square feet area.
Now German Red Cross has agreed to provide funds for the project.
Dr Sher Mohammad Khan and head of the German Red Cross, Islamabad, performed ground breaking ceremony of the warehouse at the same site on October 30 that would be completed within year.