Eighteen sanitation vehicles donated by the Japanese government for Islamabad’s municipal cleaning operations have remained stuck at Karachi Port due to delays in clearance, with the Capital Development Authority reportedly facing a Rs. 5 million penalty from the port authority.
Sources told ProPakistani that the vehicles, which were provided as a goodwill gesture to support sanitation services in the capital, arrived at Karachi Port last month. An assistant director in the CDA’s Sanitation Department was assigned responsibility for completing the clearance process, but the consignment was not cleared within the required timeframe.
Sources stated the officer had also obtained leave from the CDA in connection with the clearance process, but the vehicles remained at the port. The delay reportedly resulted in the Rs. 5 million penalty. No action has reportedly been taken against the officials responsible for the delay so far.
The sources also raised questions over the CDA’s wider management of its sanitation fleet. They claimed that around 60 government owned vehicles are available for field operations, but nearly 30 have remained unused for about five years. According to the sources, bringing the vehicles back into operation would require around Rs. 30 million, while sanitation transportation services have instead continued to be outsourced to private contractors.
Sources further alleged that two officers who served in the Sanitation Department for an extended period later established a private company that secured a contract for operating around 60 field vehicles at a monthly cost of Rs. 90 million. They claimed the arrangement has continued for about five years, resulting in annual payments of roughly Rs. 1 billion to the private company.
The sources further alleged that the company is owned by the father of a serving CDA officer who previously served as a director general of the authority, while some serving CDA officials allegedly hold shares in the company.
They claimed that the arrival and eventual deployment of the Japanese vehicles could affect existing private transportation contracts, raising questions about a possible conflict of interest. The allegations, including the reasons for the delay and responsibility for the reported penalty, have not been officially determined.
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