Five Punjab districts to get loan to improve services

Will focus on solid waste management, water and sanitation and urban transport sectors.

RAWALPINDI:

Five district governments in Punjab will get Rs150 million in loan from the World Bank to improve services in solid waste management, water and sanitation and urban transport sectors.

The Rawalpindi City District Government would be provided a share from this loan by the Punjab government and the money would be utilised to improve a landfill site, lifting solid waste, improving the transfer station and bus stand, and incentives for commuters to use CNG buses, said a press release issued by the Punjab Information Department.

The information was shared by Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zaffar in a meeting attended by World Bank representatives Javed Afzal and Salma Umar, Municipal Services EDO Imtiaz Ahmed Malik, Community Development EDO Malik Muhammad Sher, Works and Services EDO Muhammad Azam, Solid Waste DO Dr Mazher Azeem and other concern officers.

DCO Zafar said the loan will be utilised to improve the Pirwadhai Bus Stand, adding that Varan Urban Transport Company and another transport company have shown interest in restarting urban transport services in Rawalpindi after getting their buses repaired.

He said that a loan of Rs600,000 had initially been demanded by the VARAN Urban Transport to get their buses repaired, with Rs400,000 being agreed upon.

The DCO said that along with the bus service, the wagons already commuting on Murree Road and other routes would be allowed to continue so that citizens may have sufficient transport options.

Municipal Services EDO Imtiaz Ahmed Malik informed the meeting that 200 tons of solid waste was lifted from the city and carried to a transferring station at Rawat daily, from where it is shifted to a landfill near Losar village.

He added that the loan would also be utilised for the installation of an energy plant at the landfill site to generate electricity and benefit the local population.

The World Bank representatives informed the meeting that a report in this respect had been submitted to the Punjab Government and that it would make the final decision the share of the loan to be allocated to the Rawalpindi District Government.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2011.