Mechanical sweeper adds to pollution

LAHORE:Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has started to increase the air pollution in the City in the name of mechanical sweeping.

On Monday, a mechanical sweeper of the company played havoc by raising dust clouds on the Abbott Road when it started sweeping the road. The citizens passing through had no other option except to cover their faces due to the dust. The activity of the mechanical sweeper was caught in the camera by the photographer of The News Tariq Saeed who was also one of the

victims.

Many local residents were also seen making video of the LWMC’s sweeper who was collecting dust from the road and releasing it in the air. The machine was one of the sweepers confiscated by the LWMC from its Turkish contractors by force after which the Turks went to the court and a legal battle started.

When contacted, the company spokesperson Jamil Khawar said that some technical fault occurred in the machine due to which it started malfunctioning and caused

inconvenience for the public.

He said that the machines confiscated from Turkish contractors had outlived their lives and they were nine years old. When asked then why LWMC confiscated those outlived machines and caused an international issue, he said the company had no other option. He said the company was repairing the machines and bringing them on roads in phases.

On the other hand, uncollected waste remained present on many city roads. Following the gloomy situation of the cleanliness in the city, PML-N has also announced holding a press conference on Friday (today).

Meanwhile, LWMC released a statement here on Thursday that on the directions of Chief Minister Punjab, LWMC continued its cleanliness operation regarding sanitation week the fourth day and lifted more than 20,000 tons of solid waste from the city. In this regard, special cleanliness arrangements were made around all the government offices of the city.

LWMC CEO stated that the company was ensuring timely lifting of solid waste from the city to clear the backlog as well as the daily waste whereas citizens should also make sure they dispose of their waste properly instead of littering, as without their cooperation department cannot achieve the objective of Clean Lahore.

Talking with the scribe over the issue, LWMC CEO said that he had already directed the

company to abstain from bringing any vehicle on road unless it was fully fit. He said he would take strict action in case of a similar situation.