Arrangements to outsource sanitation system in Punjab in final stage: minister

LAHORE:Arrangements for outsourcing sanitation system in Punjab entered final stage as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz will inaugurate the outsourcing model in November, said Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq in a meeting here on Wednesday.

Minister Zeeshan Rafiq said the process of selection of contractors in 76 tehsils of Punjab has been completed. ‘The bidding of contractors in the rest of tehsils will be completed this month’, he said. However, the minister said that Lahore and Sahiwal’s Waste Management Companies are not being included in the outsourcing process in the first phase. Zeeshan Rafiq said that control rooms have also been established at the provincial, divisional and district levels for effective monitoring of the new system. Zeeshan Rafiq said that the chief minister’s vision of a clean Punjab will emerge as an important chapter in the country’s history. ‘We will create such an effective sanitation system that will be an example not only in Pakistan but in the entire region”, he vowed.

He observed that the full participation of the citizens will ensure the success of the outsourcing model. ‘Therefore, a full awareness campaign will be conducted throughout the Punjab’, he pledged. The provincial minister said that under the outsourcing program, a digital system of staff attendance based on artificial intelligence will also be implemented.

Before handing over responsibility to contractors, heaps of garbage are being removed. In this regard, a meeting was held in the civil secretariat under the chair of Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq.

Secretary, Local Government, Shakeel Ahmad Mian, Special Secretary Ms Asia Gul, CEO of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) Babar Sahib Din were present in the meeting while CEOs of different waste management companies across the province participated through video link.

On this occasion, new models of sanitation in Lahore and progress on outsourcing programs in other areas were reviewed in detail. Secretary, Local Government, Shakeel Ahmed Mian directed the CEOs to complete the arrangements before the inauguration and said that the citizens will be able to lodge complains about the presence of dirt through the mobile app. Complaints should be resolved within a few hours, he added. Babar Sahib Din gave a briefing on the arrangements for the launching ceremony.