Minister for timely disposing of sacrificial animals’ remains

LAHORE : Provincial Minister for Local Government Mian Mehmood Ur Rashid has directed the authorities concerned to make best arrangements for disposal of the remains of sacrificial animals and overall cleanliness in cities.

He directed the officers while chairing a meeting at the Civil Secretariat on Saturday. The Punjab chief secretary, administrative secretaries of local government and information departments, Lahore division commissioner, head of Lahore Waste Management Company and other officers concerned attended the meeting while all the divisional commissioners participated in it through video link.

Addressing the meeting, Mian Mehmood Ur Rashid said that the Punjab chief minister had issued special instructions regarding cleanliness arrangements on the occasion of Eidul Azha and he would pay surprise visits to districts like the previous year to review the performance in this regard. He said the Local Government Department and solid waste management companies should perform their duties more actively.

The chief secretary directed that a comprehensive plan be prepared for the disposal of offal of sacrificial animals and sanitation in cities. He said that responsibilities would be assigned to the district administration and the departments concerned according to the plan.

He asked the commissioners and deputy commissioners to go to the field and review the arrangements themselves. He said that Lahore, being a big city, was facing numerous challenges in terms of cleanliness, especially on the occasion of Eidul Azha. He issued instructions to the officers concerned for taking measures for cleanliness in Lahore and timely resolution of public complaints.

The local government secretary briefed the meeting that a control room had been set up to monitor the sanitation activities in the province and leaves of all sanitary workers and staff have been cancelled. The chief executive officer of Lahore Waste Management Company told the meeting that a plan had been devised to make the City zero-waste a day before Eid.

She said that more than 1.5 million waste bags would be distributed in Lahore for disposal of offal, adding that distribution of waste bags in cattle markets had started while distribution of the bags at the union council camps and houses would start from July 19. She said that in case of any complaint, citizens should contact the helpline 1139.