Punjab’s Model Handcart Project Faces Corruption Allegations
Key Highlights:
- Allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement have marred Punjab’s Model Handcart project, initiated by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to support street vendors and reduce traffic congestion.
- The project aimed to provide 1,000 handcarts free of cost at 19 locations in Lahore, but vendors claim they were forced to pay between Rs10,000 and Rs25,000 for each cart.
- Bidding irregularities surfaced in the first phase, where the lowest bidder, M/s Weld Engineers, was allegedly disqualified due to missing documents, allowing Rehman and Brothers to win the contract at an inflated price of Rs 148,700 per cart, adding an extra Rs 50 million burden on the public exchequer.
- Rehman and Brothers subcontracted the work back to M/s Weld Engineers at their original lower bid, suggesting a possible collusion.
- Despite disciplinary action, only a junior MCL official was penalized, while senior officials allegedly involved remained untouched.
- The second phase of the project has raised further concerns, with the cost per cart increasing to Rs150,000 and only one firm participating in the bidding process, fueling speculations of cartelisation.
- Lahore Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza defended the project, citing transparency in e-tendering and increased material costs as reasons for price hikes.
The allegations of bid manipulation, financial mismanagement, and forced payments from vendors have cast a shadow over the Model Handcart project. Despite government assurances, concerns over transparency and accountability persist, especially as the second phase proceeds with increased costs and reduced competition. The controversy raises broader questions about governance and oversight in public welfare initiatives.