LAHORE: The Punjab government has committed itself to clear the city roads of litter in a week.

It also vows that the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) would now ensure [solid waste] disposal like the previous PML-N government but in half a price of Rs7 billion to Rs8bn a year. The PML-N government was using some Rs14bn taxpayers’ money a year.

The government will also procure 915 new waste-lifting vehicles, 6,000 containers, protective gear and uniforms for the staff at a total cost of Rs4bn within the next six months.

This was announced by Punjab Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun, who has been entrusted the task to look after the affairs of the LWMC on behalf of the chief minister, at CM’s secretariat on Saturday.

Flanked by Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Mr Humayun said the government had identified the ‘mafia’ as well as black sheep in the company and sidelined it.

He said the Punjab government was now working on a two-pronged short-term and long-term strategy. In the short-term strategy, he said some machinery had been repaired as well as hired to lift the solid waste backlog within a week. In the long term, the company would get its own vehicles and continue lifting the waste in a sustainable manner. He said the private housing societies should not dump their waste at LWMC sites but take responsibility.

Firdous says NAB probing into LWMC’s finances

Mr Humayun also expressed his concern that the Waste2Energy project had yet not been started. It merits mentioning that Usman Buzdar had directed the company to start working on waste-to-energy projects in a meeting on May 1, last year.

The minister said two foreign companies were hired for consultation for the waste-to-energy project but neither any capacity building done nor anything new was learnt by the company despite spending billions of rupees.

Later responding to questions, Dr Awan said the NAB was inquiring into the financial matters of the company and the corrupt would be taken to task.

“As soon as fingers were pointed on provincial industries minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, the Imran Khan government separated him from the LWMC affairs and launched an inquiry at government as well as party level,” she said.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2021