SSWMB increases funds for cleaning of religious places of non-Muslims

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) approved its budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023 in its board meeting on Friday with Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah in chair.

The SSWMB enhanced the budget for cleaning of sacred sites of non-Muslims. It also approved lifting of garbage from SITE and union councils in the rural areas of the city.

In order to improve the performance of the SSWMB in District South, the local minister government approved issuing new tenders. The new tendering process would take six to 12 months, according to a press statement issued by the waste management board.

Since in District West, the Hangzhou Jinjiang Group is lifting garbage from door to door, it was decided in the meeting that the same company would be allowed to lift garbage from SITE and rural areas of the district.

It was also decided in the meeting that garbage would be directly transported to the landfill sites without first shifting it to garbage transfer stations from those union committees or areas of the city that were near landfill sites. After this decision, the process of transporting garbage would be expedited.

In the 2022-23 budget, the SSWMB enhanced the budget for cleaning and garbage lifting work at sacred places of non-Muslims. On the advice of a technical advisory team of the SSWMB, the board enhanced the tendering process of garbage lifting in Hyderabad, Qasimabad, Kotri, Sukkur and Rohri.

The SSWMB also decided that it would allow the Engro energy company’s access to its landfill sites so that the company could prepare a feasibility report regarding power generation from garbage.

The board also approved signing a memorandum of understanding in this regard. The board also decided that the sweeping staff of District Municipal Corporations (DMCs) would be sent to private companies involved in garbage collection work in different districts of the city.

According to the press statement, it was already written in the contracts with the companies involved in garbage management in the city that they would employee DMCs’ staff for cleaning purposes, due to which the DMCs’ sanitary workers and supervisors would be transferred to those private companies.

The board also approved design studies for new landfill sites, GTS and hiring of consultants for legal advice.

Sindh Local Government Secretary Syed Najam Shah, Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Additional Secretary Finance Moazzam Ali Shah, SSWMB Managing Director Zubair Channa, SSWMB Executive director Tariq Nizami and others attended the board meeting.