LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal while addressing a press conference at DGPR office on Thursday said the zero waste target will be achieved by the evening of January 15 as the Lahore Waste Management Company has removed 85 per cent garbage from the city.
Special Assistant to the CM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was also present on this occasion. The minister stated that one billion and five crore rupees were annually spent on cleaning Lahore city in 2009; but when the PML-N government awarded cleanliness contract to two foreign companies, the amount rose to seven billion rupees in 2010 and the expenditure further escalated to 14 billion rupees in 2018. Meanwhile, special grants given on special occasions were in addition to this budget.
Giving the details, the minister mentioned that USD 320 million contract was signed with these companies with a time-period of seven years and 70 per cent amount was paid in dollars. Work charge employees were hired for foreign companies through Suleman and Company and Skill Hub and crores of rupees were given to these companies during the last eight years. There was an ambiguity in the agreements and the forensic audit report has also been received.
He said the LWMC was the legitimate owner of all the machinery after the expiry of the agreement under RFP. When this condition was given the shape of an agreement, the representatives of the former government changed the agreement in connivance with the foreign companies, he said. Thus, the PML-N government picked the pockets of the poor nation in the name of cleanliness.