The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), the federation’s top public-accounts auditor, will conduct a special audit of the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), focusing on fuel consumption, vehicle mileage and the repair and maintenance of machinery. The move follows a surprise inspection by the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) that reported serious gaps in fleet management and record-keeping under the Suthra Punjab Programme in Lahore.
According to official correspondence, the Local Government and Community Department asked for an audit team to be deployed at the earliest. A letter dated 20 October 2026, signed by Section Officer (Companies) Muhammad Aslam Nadeem, recalled that the CMIT chairman had submitted recommendations and that the chief minister had directed the administrative department to act on the findings, especially by arranging the special audit of LWMC.
What the inspection found
CMIT inspected the Suthra Punjab Programme in Lahore on 8 and 9 September on the chief minister’s direction. Its report, signed by Chairman Salman Ijaz on 2 October and later endorsed by Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sajid Zafar Dall on 9 October and Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman on 11 October, listed deficiencies found during a physical check of vehicles at the Outfall Road and Thokar parking yard and workshop.
LWMC’s deputy chief executive officer told the team that the company carries out its own vehicle repair and maintenance. Inspectors nonetheless found several vehicles non-functional for months and a number of unserviceable units parked at the yard. The deputy CEO said most vehicles had been handed over by the predecessor company, Al-Burak, in 2021, and that Electronic Control Modules (ECMs)—the computer units that help engines run—had been removed by that predecessor, leaving those machines out of service.
As many as 291 vehicles are proposed for auction. Officials said the auction could not proceed earlier because the matter was in litigation with international contractors. Maintenance records for engine oil changes, repairs and servicing were kept manually, with no computerised system to track those activities.
Tracking gaps and official recommendations
At LWMC’s control room, the team reviewed real-time positions of compactors, loader rickshaws, containers and mechanical sweepers and washers through the vehicle tracking system. For vehicles that workshop records showed as parked for repairs for about 15 days, the tracking system listed the same units as “non-reporting” for around two months. The gap between those periods could not be explained and pointed to a lag that needed reconciliation. Attendance of Suthra Punjab Programme staff was also checked through the Lean Punjab Monitoring App.
CMIT recommended that the administrative department arrange the special audit—especially of fuel consumption, mileage and repair and maintenance—and speed up the auction of condemned vehicles. It also urged a centralised digital Vehicle Maintenance Management System (VMMS) to keep vehicle-wise records of repairs, servicing, oil changes, spare parts and costs, and asked the Suthra Punjab Authority to put in place monitoring against fuel pilferage and high repair spending.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 8–9 September 2026: CMIT conducts a surprise inspection of the Suthra Punjab Programme in Lahore.
- 2 October 2026: CMIT Chairman Salman Ijaz signs the inspection report detailing fleet and record-keeping gaps.
- 9 October 2026: Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sajid Zafar Dall endorses the report.
- 11 October 2026: Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman endorses the report.
- 20 October 2026: The Local Government and Community Department requests deployment of an AGP audit team for the special audit of LWMC.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore ki safai company LWMC ka khas audit hone wala hai, jis mein petrol diesel ka istemal, gaariyon ka mileage aur repair dekha jayega. Chief Minister ki team ne gaariyon aur records mein kamiyan dekhi thin. Kai gaariyan mahinon se band thin aur kuch record computer par nahi, haath se likhe ja rahe thay. Is audit se pata chalega ke shehar ki safai ke liye diya gaya paisa aur fuel sahi tarah use ho raha hai ya nahi.
