Roads and streets in the garrison will continue to be strewn with garbage as the foreign company hired to dispose of it has refused to start work until the 10 per cent upfront amount mentioned in the contract is released by the government.
A Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the provincial government has not yet released the mobilisation advance due to the Turkish company, Al-Bayrak, to start the work.
“The government is bound to pay 10 per cent of the total Rs8 billion as a mobilisation advance before work starts,” the official said, adding that the amount has not been released despite the fact that the company has deposited bank guarantees. He expressed, however, his ignorance about the amount the company has deposited as bank guarantees.
The provincial government has signed a seven-year agreement with the company to carry out the work, however, the company has not mobilised its machinery on the project.
The official said that the provincial government was demanding that the company start work first, while the company was demanding the release of funds as it has already been operating in neighbouring Murree since August 1. The official said that the work in Rawalpindi city might not start till the funds are released.
Under the agreement, the Turkish company would carry out mechanical washing and sweeping of city roads and also train RWMC staff to use modern machinery, besides carrying out door-to-door waste collection.
It will work in collaboration with the RWMC in 63 union councils including 46 in Rawal Town, 16 in Potohar Town and one in Murree.
After seven years, the company will hand over the waste disposal machinery to the RWMC. Meanwhile, the government has allocated space in the Model Bazaar for the company to store its machinery and vehicles.
“So far, the company has shifted around eight mini trucks and few containers, but the total requirement of machinery and staff has yet to be brought in,” the official said, adding that a separate office has also been set up for the company on Sixth Road.
RWMC Chairman Raja Hanif, who is also a member of the Punjab assembly, was unavailable for comment as he is abroad, according to his personal assistant.
The RWMC is already transporting waste from Rawalpindi to the Losar landfill near Rawat.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2014.
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