Mounds of garbage pile up under Punjab govt’s ‘wary strategy’

Contractors complain authorities owe them billions

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s wary strategy to smell a rat in all initiatives of the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the system of accountability has transformed the entire metropolis into a giant heap of garbage, The Express Tribune learnt on Sunday.

Officials of the waste management companies, Turkish and local contractors have indicated that the waste management and collection system was ‘breathing its last’ owing to non-payment by the provincial government.

The government owes over Rs3 billion to the waste management companies, including around Rs1.4 billion to Albayrak and around Rs1.8 billion to OzPak.

“We have not been paid by the government since February 2019. Last week, sanitary workers – who are provided by private contractors – had announced strike due to non-payment of their dues, because of which we have to shut our operations,” disclosed an official of the private contractor on condition of anonymity.

Responding to a question, he highlighted that the government had promised to pay bonus on Eidul Azha as the reward of good cleanliness campaign, but it failed to keep its promise.

“The government is continuously giving false assurances about release of our outstanding payment. On numerous occasions, we get to hear that if some accountability agency brings forensic report against the waste management companies then how will the government recover the payments from you,” he said.

“All the government officials are reluctant to make any payment to public service companies constituted during the previous regime,” he revealed, adding that it was not the case that the government was not releasing payments but it was hesitant to clear the outstanding bills of the waste management companies for fear of accountability.

“We believe it is a temporary phase. Both Turkish companies are keen to work in Pakistan and have already applied for pre-qualification in new tendering,” he underlined. “After new assurances about the release of outstanding payments both companies have managed to bring back some workers for waste removal from the city but it would not work long if the government failed to clear our bills.”

Meanwhile, following annoyance expressed by Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar over poor cleanliness in the city, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) chairman tendered a public apology in a news conference on Sunday over the inconvenience caused to citizens due to poor waste management.

Addressing a news conference, he claimed that all the reservations of the Turkish companies have been addressed and the zero-waste operation in the city has been restored.

“Lahorites will witness a visible difference in the cleanliness of the city during next 24 to 48 hours as no officer or worker will go home till successful completion of the operation,” he said.

Contrary to Turkish contractors’ stance, LWMC chairman tried to give the impression that international contractors are trying to pull out of the Pakistani market.

“The international contract is going towards closure and the department has learnt a lot from it. In future, the LWMC will ensure a more transparent system so that local contractors can also participate,” he underlined.

He further said maintaining cleanliness in the city was the company’s priority and the company was using all possible means to ensure timely removal of waste from the city.

He added that till now more than 10,000 tonnes of waste has been removed in an environment-friendly manner whereas the operation was still underway.

The chairman and LWMC Managing Director Rao Imtiaz Ahmad visited multiple areas of the city, including the workshops of LWMC and Turkish contractors to ensure the proper functioning of zero-waste operation on the ground.

“We would not sit contentedly until the completion of the zero-waste operation and all the resources will be used to provide citizens with a clean environment. All team of the LWMC is in the field despite anything, the LWMC MD said.

He also added that citizens would not be disappointed and the LWMC complete its operation within 48 hours. He directed all the officers to resolve the complaints of the citizens.

Though the LWMC officials claim that Turkish contractors have resumed waste collection operations,  zero-waste operation pictures released for media clearly indicated that the issue was not yet resolved as neither Albayrak nor OzPak vehicles participated in waste collection campaign.

An official disclosed that the LWMC management was trying to "teach a lesson to Turkish contractors" that the company could collect waste from the city without them that was why it mobilised some local contractors for waste collection.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2019.