'Saaf Rawalpindi' app, hotline unveiled

RAWALPINDI

The Saaf Rawalpindi App and 1139 toll-free number were formally launched in Rawalpindi under the "Saaf Suthra Punjab" project. The response time for citizens' complaints has been set at two to three hours. The sanitation system will be outsourced to all union councils.

This was revealed at a meeting chaired by Punjab Minister for Local Government and Community Development Zeeshan Rafique regarding the Suthra Punjab.

The minister was told in a briefing by the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) that measures were being taken regarding the Suthra Punjab.

The provincial minister was informed that 17 union councils (UCs) across the division had been outsourced for the Suthra Punjab so far, while outsourcing was in progress in four union councils for which pre-qualification had been completed.

The union councils, which have completed the outsourcing process, will enter the first operational phase before December 1. The target of January 1, 2025 has been set for union councils, where outsourcing is in process, to become operational.

Rafique, speaking on the occasion, said that the Suthra Punjab project owned by the Punjab chief minister would be a gift of cleanliness to the people, adding zero waste would be ensured in cities and villages. "Environmentally friendly sustainable measures are being taken under the Suthra Punjab programme," he added.

The minister added that outsourcing of sanitation system in rural areas would ensure manual and mechanical sweeping, waste collection, drain cleaning and waste disposal.

"The local government department will monitor the outsourcing system digitally."

The provincial minister further said that digital monitoring would include biometric attendance, vehicle tracking management system, vehicle weighing at dumping site, digital monitoring of fleet and container clearance through geo-tagging and prompt resolution of complaints. At the district level, a control room was being set up in the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office and the high-level control rooms under the supervision of Assistant Commissioners (ACs), he added.

To ensure the full participation of the people in this sanitation system, an app named "Saaf Rawalpindi" and 1139 toll-free number have been launched. People can register their complaints for which the contractor will be given two to three hours to resolve them.