Wasting poor nation’s money

Motorcycles for vaccinators rusting in a parking lot

ISLAMABAD: Only frames of a large number of motorcycles awarded to vaccinators of the Health Department Rawalpindi, years back, are now rusting in the parking lot of the Department as most parts of the bikes have already been stolen.

Now people visit the parking lot of the health authority only to check bikes are still left with some saleable parts. According to some insiders, the parking lot now serves as the junkyard where one may still get some parts of their choice without facing any problems.

The vaccinators employed in the Health Department, Rawalpindi, years ago, were handed over these motorcycles to perform their official duties. They used to ride them in different parts of the city for vaccinating the children.

Most of these bikes were manufactured by well-known companies like Honda, Suzuki and others. Like every other machinery, these motorcycles also needed maintenance regularly. Mostly the vaccinators used to visit private mechanics for repair and maintenance because there was no government workshop. Thus in case of some major fault in the bike, the user used to return to the Department to get it repaired.

According to insiders the departmental authorities also preferred to dump such motorcycles in the parking lot rather than to manage to fix the fault. Eventually, the number of these motorcycles started swelling due to the negligence of the authorities concerned. According to an official of the Health Department, who declined to be named, it is difficult to auction these bikes because of the very cumbersome process. The process includes assessments of the discarded government vehicles followed by advertisements in newspapers so it all takes a lot of energy and time.

“Government officials who are given a four-wheeler take full care of the vehicle as for them it’s also a status symbol to have a car with a government number plate. But when it comes to government-owned motorcycles, little attention is paid to their maintenance,” he stated.

photos: Mian Khursheed/Bol News

This is also learnt that during the tenure of the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Health Department Rawalpindi, Dr Faiza, a few discarded motorcycles were also auctioned. The motorcycles which were in better condition were sold out and others were left behind which are rusting in the parking lot.

This is pertinent to mention here that there are around 240 vaccinators in the health department including eight female vaccinators. Most of them, especially male vaccinators, are enjoying the facility of motorcycles.

While responding to the query of Bol News, District Health Officer (DHO), Dr Amir Sheikh said that a condemnation committee would decide the fate of these bikes. He said after the consideration of this committee, these motorcycles would be sold out as junk.

In reply to another query, he said that he had handed over the charge as DHO so not in a position to go into detail. When this scribe pointed out that parts of these bikes are being stolen, he said, “Required action would be taken against those involved in this.”