Strategy devised to cope with monsoon, says minister

LAHORE:Punjab Minister for Local Government Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed praised the waste collection exercise by the Local Government Department during the Eidul Azha holidays, saying entire machinery worked hard to ensure the waste removal and cleanliness in the province.

Addressing a press conference at DGPR on Friday, the minister said the staff worked with dedication and responsibility through the monitoring from central control room and set a new record of waste collection and disposal.

Secretary LG Noor-ul-Ameen Mengal and CEO LWMC Rafih Haider, Addl. Secretary Local Government Ms Kausar and DG LG Saira Rasheed were also present in the press conference. He said Local Government Department and all the waste management companies have exhibited outstanding performance during all three days of Eid, adding that Secretary Local Government, CEO LWMC and all concerned authorities and staff remained present in the field. He assured that department is fully prepared to cope with monsoon and public will not face any difficulty. He said that drains of Lahore have been cleaned one month ago and the underground water tanks are also being constructed. Local govt department, waste management companies, Wasa, PHA and other concerned departments have devised a comprehensive strategy for the monsoon season.

The minister further said that he personally inspected the sanitation arrangements in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and Sargodha. Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed said all waste management companies worked according to the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, adding that CM personally visited the control room of Local Government at Local Government Complex and monitored the arrangements made for the cleanliness of Lahore.

The minister declared that the sanitation performance by Punjab government was much better than the measures taken by the other provinces in this regard. He also announced cash awards for the staff of all waste management companies. He said legislation will be made to impose fine on those who threw garbage in the green belts in the nights.

Secretary Local Government Department Noor-ul-Ameen Mengal said that staff of all waste management companies worked round the clock. More than 1.5 lakh metric tons animal waste was disposed of. 71 thousand workers of local government department were present in the field during Eid days. He said 14,000 complaints were registered out of which 90 percent were redressed. He assured that performance of Local Government Department will further improve in the future.