Contractors to take over sanitation

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved in principle an outsourcing plan of solid waste management services in every tehsil of the province.

A Suthra Punjab App will also be launched for facilitating the people and the chief minister will launch a door-to-door waste collection campaign from December 3 across Punjab.

The chief minister took the decisions while presiding over a meeting to review progress on the Suthra Punjab Programme with a 'zero-waste' mission. She was informed that outsourcing of solid waste management had been completed in 103 tehsils, while the process was under way in 33 others.

Trackers will be installed on the vehicles deputed to monitor cleanliness and a monitoring system will be established at the provincial, district and tehsil levels. A six-member monitoring committee will constituted under the headship of assistant commissioners in every tehsil.

It was revealed during the meeting that more than 100,000 people would be provided employment owing to outsourcing of the waste management.

More than 21,000 cleaning machines and 83,000 other pieces of equipment will be provided for the waste management. Door-to-door waste collection will be carried out from 1.5 million houses in Lahore. Cleanliness will be ensured in 500 markets and 400 villages of Lahore district.

At least 540 workers will be hired to ensure cleanliness measures in Lahore, while 10 loader rickshaws will be provided in every union council of the city.

The chief minister directed the officials concermed to maintain equal cleanliness quality measures in every street and town.

She asserted, "A zero waste revolution will be implemented in Punjab. Strict monitoring of cleanliness should be carried out and stern action will be taken in case of any negligence. The chief minister also appreciated the cleanliness arrangements in Murree.

Meanwhile, appreciating Pakistan Stock Market for crossing the milestone of 100,000 points, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said Pakistan Stock Exchange had become world's best performing equity market. She paid tribute to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his economic team on the achievement, saying that it reflected investors' growing confidence in Pakistan's economy. ,"Investors' confidence is a proof that Pakistan has a bright future," she said.

The chief minister said the country had not only achieved stability but was also on the path of development."

She said the stock market record was a result of unwavering confidence of investors in the business-friendly policies of the government. She said the prime minister' policies were proving attractive to international investors."

The chief minister said the PML-N had crossed 100,000 points in the stock market not by raising political slogans but by formulating effective policies.

Earlier in September, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had announced the implementation of durable, environment-friendly measures under the Suthra Punjab Programme, aimed at enhancing cleanliness across the province. She had highlighted that rural areas will be included in large-scale cleaning efforts for the first time.

The CM stressed the importance of adopting proper waste disposal practices and called for a shift away from plastic, which contributes significantly to pollution. In March, Punjab's Local Government Minister, Zeeshan Rafique, pledged to introduce innovative sanitation models as part of the Suthra Punjab Programme.

He emphasised the government's commitment to ensuring a clean environment for the province's residents.