LWMC’s new initiatives to improve cleanliness situation

LAHORE:Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has only 14,000 workers for the cleanliness of the provincial capital city having a population of over 15 million.

This was stated by LWMC Chairman Amjad Ali Awan in a meet the press here Friday. He said that LWMC was striving to provide the best yet cost-effective cleanliness facilities to the citizens.

The chairman said LWMC took special measures and converted the LWMC from a monitoring company into an operational company. He said that in order to improve the solid waste management system in the city, LWMC’s management took various initiatives which included three years contract for outsourcing the secondary collection, procurement of 6,000 waste storage containers, 22,000 uniforms for sanitary workers, 10,000 shoes for sanitary workers, formal engagement of laid-off staff by Turkish companies, assessment of existing fleet/auction of vehicles, addition of 950 new vehicles, rehabilitation of temporary collection points (TCPs) & waste enclosures, 3,000 handcarts for sanitary workers, hiring of vacant management positions and establishment of Vigilance Cell for the monitoring of overall operations of LWMC to eliminate and minimise the factors of corruption and malpractices.

The LWMC chairman added that the management had changed the organogram for optimal utilisation of existing HR as the nature of work has been changed after the closure of the contract with Turkish companies.

“As per the proposed organogram Lahore is divided into two circles and two GM operations will be deployed for two circles of the city,” he revealed adding 49 more zonal officers, 14 town managers, two manager coordination, 12 workshop managers, 72 tax collectors, two fleet managers, eight fleet in charge, 24 vigilance in-charges, 274 supervisors, 28 assistants, 28 clerks and 72 temporary collection point supervisors will also be appointed.

He revealed that LWMC had introduced a mega plan of procuring 950 vehicles with its own budget of Rs6 billion. “This procurement will be the solution to all the problems regarding cleanliness in the city,” he said and maintained that LWMC was stimulating all its operations for making Lahore clean and green.

Talking about the primary waste collection, the chairman said that it would be made with the help of a new consignment of vehicles while secondary collection will be outsourced and the bidding process has already been initiated as per PPRA rules. “LWMC is planning to recycle and compost 1,000 ton waste on daily basis with the collaboration of public and private institutes,” he revealed adding the biggest achievement so far was to procure new machinery from its previous year’s budget, which saved Rs6 billion of government funds.

greenbelts: Director General Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Jawad Ahmad Qureshi visited various city parks and roads here on Friday and directed the staff concerned to clean the green belts and parks of different zones of Lahore.

DG PHA said that the purpose of his visit was to ensure cleaning of the parks as well as green belts. “Cleanliness is our half faith. Cleaning of parks and green belts was very important to make Lahore beautiful”.