Maryam Nawaz Sets 15-Day Deadline to Improve Cleanliness
Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has given a 15-day task to ensure a 100% improvement in cleanliness across the province, directing authorities to take immediate measures to improve sanitation services.
The directives were issued during a special meeting chaired by the chief minister to review the performance of the Suthra Punjab programme. The meeting also approved, in principle, the decision to terminate solid waste management companies over unsatisfactory cleanliness performance.
The chief minister also decided to introduce self-operation in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan to improve sanitation efficiency and ensure better use of resources.
Expressing concern over dust and dirt on roads across Punjab, Maryam Nawaz ordered the daily washing of major roads. She also directed authorities to impose fines for throwing garbage on roads after cleaning operations, as well as in markets, bazaars, vegetable markets and grain markets.
The meeting set targets to ensure adequate human resources and machinery in every district. The chief minister directed that villages be cleaned every alternate day and ordered deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners to hold weekly meetings with field monitoring officers.
She also directed authorities to establish key performance indicators to assess the performance of field monitoring officers and ensure timely payment of salaries to sanitation workers in every city and locality.
Maryam Nawaz sought a final record from deputy commissioners regarding the machinery required for sanitation operations and the savings achieved through self-operation. The meeting also discussed imposing fines on owners of vacant plots where garbage is found.
Deputy commissioners of Multan, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Hafizabad, Muzaffargarh and other districts presented reports on sanitation arrangements.
The chief minister directed deputy commissioners to physically verify machinery and equipment in their respective districts and scheduled a follow-up meeting on the Suthra Punjab programme after one week.
