LWMC faces special audit over fuel, fleet and repair spending
The Punjab Chief Minister Inspection Team has flagged serious administrative and operational deficiencies in the Lahore Waste Management Company and recommended a special audit of its fuel consumption, vehicle mileage and spending on machinery repairs and maintenance.
The findings came from surprise inspections of the Suthra Punjab Programme. The inspection report has prompted the chief minister to direct the administrative department to address the deficiencies and take corrective action.
The Auditor General of Pakistan has also been asked for an audit team to be deployed at the earliest to examine the company’s fuel use, mileage and repair and maintenance expenses, according to sources cited by ProPakistani.
Tracking records do not match workshop records
One of the main observations concerns inconsistencies between the vehicle tracking system and records kept at LWMC workshops.
During a visit to the company’s control room, the inspection team checked the real-time locations of vehicles including compactors, loader rickshaws, containers, mechanical sweepers and washers.
Vehicles that had reportedly been parked at workshops for repairs for about 15 days were shown as “non-reporting” by the tracking system for around two months. The discrepancy between the reported workshop stay and the period recorded by the tracking system could not be explained during the inspection.
The inspection team has called for the two sets of records to be reconciled. When the two records disagree, neither can be trusted on its own.
Vehicles idle for months
The inspection team also examined vehicles parked at the Outfall Road and Thokar parking yards and workshops, where it found that some vehicles had remained non-functional for months.
The deputy chief executive officer of LWMC told the team that the company itself carried out vehicle repairs and maintenance. The report also records that a number of unserviceable vehicles were lying in parking yards and workshops.
According to the explanation given by LWMC officials, most of these vehicles had been handed over by the predecessor company, Al Burak, in 2021. The deputy CEO further stated that Electronic Control Modules had been removed by the predecessor company, rendering the vehicles non-functional.
LWMC officials told the inspection team that 291 vehicles had been proposed for auction. The auction process had previously been held up because of litigation involving international contractors, but that matter had recently been decided. The inspection report recommends expediting the disposal of condemned vehicles.
The prolonged presence of unserviceable machinery raises questions about the financial cost of keeping the assets, their assessed value, the cost of repairs and the reasons for their continued storage. Those are questions the proposed special audit is meant to answer.
Maintenance records kept by hand
Another concern highlighted by the inspection team is the absence of a computerised system for recording and monitoring vehicle maintenance.
During the inspection of parking yards and workshops, the team found that records of engine oil changes, repairs and maintenance were being kept manually. No computerised or digital vehicle maintenance monitoring system was found in place.
Without a central digital record, it is difficult to establish the complete maintenance history of an individual vehicle, compare repair costs, identify recurring mechanical faults or verify spending against work actually performed.
The inspection team has therefore recommended installing a centralised Vehicle Maintenance Management System. That system would keep vehicle-specific records of repairs, servicing, oil changes, spare parts replacement and associated costs.
What the special audit will examine
The proposed special audit is the central administrative recommendation in the report. It will examine LWMC’s fuel consumption, mileage and expenditure on repairs and maintenance.
Alongside the audit and the digital maintenance system, the inspection team recommended that the Suthra Punjab Authority introduce an effective monitoring mechanism to check possible fuel pilferage and spending on vehicle repairs and maintenance.
The chief minister has directed the administrative department to address the findings and recommendations in the report and take further action to rectify the deficiencies, sources told ProPakistani.
Reliable vehicles, honest fuel records and a working maintenance system are what clear streets on schedule.
What did the inspection team find?
It found gaps in vehicle maintenance records, discrepancies between workshop records and the vehicle tracking system, and a significant number of non-functional vehicles.
How many vehicles are proposed for auction?
LWMC officials told the inspection team that 291 vehicles had been proposed for auction, after litigation involving international contractors was decided.
What will the special audit cover?
- ProPakistani, “4 Shocking Issues Discovered in Lahore Waste Management Company” (27 October 2026): https://propakistani.pk/2026/10/27/4-shocking-issues-discovered-in-lahore-waste-management-company/
- Feature Pakistan prior coverage of the Suthra Punjab sanitation drive in Punjab (slug: maryam-nawaz-suthra-punjab-sanitation-deadline; parent to link the live post at publish time).
