SIALKOT - Provincial Minister for Local Government Punjab Mian Zeeshan Rafique has said that a full-scale operation for sanitation in rural areas under the ‘Suthra Punjab Programme’ will start from Sept 16.
He made this announcement while addressing a meeting of district administration, district council, municipal corporation/ committees administrator and chief officers in the office of Deputy Commissioner Sialkot. DC Sialkot Muhammad Zulqarnain and Administrator Municipal Corporation Sialkot Muhammad Iqbal were also present.
According to the plan, door-to-door garbage collection would be done in each rural union council (UC) under the supervision of the local government department, with at least 10 sanitary workers and four loader rickshaws, who would transport garbage to the temporary garbage collection point, established in villages. From there, it would be responsibility of the district council to lift the garbage with trolleys and dump it at the dumping point of the UC. The resources required in this regard are being released on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and within the next 10 days, the local government department and the district council would complete human resource and machinery and other arrangements. Along with this, one-time bulk waste from roads would be lifted in rural areas, and after that, it would not be allowed to accumulate at any place.
Provincial Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique said that under Suthra Punjab Programme, a uniform sanitation system was being outsourced in Punjab province, but three months were required until the bidding process and operationalisation, till then the responsibility of sanitation was on the local government and district council.
The minister said that the Punjab government was going to make a grand investment for the betterment of Punjab and in this regard, the administrators and chief officers of the local bodies had been given full authority, but they would also be held accountable for their negligence in their duties. He said that according to the size of the district, one to three cranes and excavators will be provided to the deputy commissioners for the cleaning of water from ponds and drains in the rural areas, which is going to resolve the big problem of sewage in the villages. He said that the cabinet has given approval for collection of fees from cleaning and sanitation. Main Zeeshan Rafique said that a survey would be conducted for collection of fees according to the size and nature of houses, shops, commercial and industrial within the limits of the local government department and in this regard, first of all, people would have to provide quality sanitation services. The minister said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was going to start by-road visits to cities soon, in which she would focus on municipal services.
He expressed deep concern over the poor performance of the Solid Waste Management Company (SWMC) Sialkot and concern over absence of the staff and directed the Deputy Commissioner Sialkot to conduct a full audit of the outsourcing system of the SWMC Sialkot.
Provincial Minister said that assistant commissioners should visit their municipal committees early in the morning every day and ensure measures are taken to improve the sanitation system.
