3 waste management MDs sacked

The Punjab government has removed the managing directors (MDs) of waste management companies in Faisalabad, Kasur and Okara over complaints of poor sanitation under the Suthra Punjab programme. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to review sanitation arrangements and the performance of the Suthra Punjab programme across the province. It was also decided that the removed MDs would not be given other postings because of their poor performance. The chief minister expressed displeasure over complaints concerning sanitation in several cities and ordered action against officials showing poor performance. She ordered continuous monitoring of the sanitation systems and measures to ensure good performance of field staff. Measures to strengthen monitoring of Suthra Punjab field monitoring officers (FMOs) were approved in the meeting. Body cameras will be installed to track the officers, while the deputy commissioners were directed to make arrangements for their daily monitoring. The chief minister also ordered the establishment of a dedicated monitoring section to oversee the performance of the Suthra Punjab field monitoring officers. The participants were informed that anti-littering squads had been activated in all divisions of the province. The squads have conducted 77,137 inspections and issued 9,353 warnings. In addition, 19 challans were issued for littering. In Lahore, 53,186 inspections have been conducted so far by the anti-littering squad. The anti-littering campaign has also been expanded to include digital challans through Safe City system cameras. At least 2,156 digital challans have so far been issued using the camera system. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz set a 15-day target for improving the door-to-door waste collection and ordered that the Suthra Punjab beat system be made fully operational across the province. The beat system is intended to strengthen field monitoring and ensure that the sanitation staff and services are regularly monitored in designated areas. The chief minister was informed that payments to Suthra Punjab workers had been completed on time in most tehsils across Punjab. It was shared in a briefing that 37,852 bins had been installed across the province at locations designated for waste disposal. It was disclosed that 676,551 complaints relating to the Suthra Punjab sanitation programme had been received across the province, of which 99 per cent had been resolved. The chief minister directed relevant authorities to improve monitoring of sanitation operations, ensure accountability of field officers and provide better waste management services to citizens.