GUJRAT: The Punjab government has appointed Zulfiqar Ahmed (BPS-18) as the chief executive officer of the Gujrat Solid Waste Management Company (GtWMC) and he assumed the charge of his office on Thursday.

He was awaiting posting in the Services and General Administration Department S&GAD. The company was dysfunctional since its establishment in September 2022 during the tenure of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as the chief minister.

The CEO held a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue ADCR Khizer Hayat Bhatti, Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG) Afzal Hayat Tarrar and deputy director development Jahangeer Butt were also present.

The Parvez Elahi government had allocated a one-time fund of Rs1.6bn for establishment of the GtWMC and Rs500m were released. The company was about to recruit 300 employees in February 2023 but the process was stopped after the caretaker government took over.

A few months ago, the local government department notified the members of board of directors (BoD). Ali Ibrar Jaura, the Gujrat city PML-Q president, was notified as chairman of the company while PML-Q MPA Tashfeen Safdar Marala, former deputy mayor of Gujrat Municipal Corporation Asif Mehmda (PML-N) and some others were also nominated as the BoD members.

Currently, the Gujranwala solid waste management company (GWMC) is looking after the matters of Gujrat’s cleanliness that was handed over to a private contractor firm.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2025