Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has given officials 15 days to improve door-to-door waste collection across the province. The directive follows complaints about poor sanitation and waste management in several cities.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif issued the instructions during a meeting reviewing the performance of the Suthra Punjab programme. She expressed displeasure over sanitation complaints and directed officials to take immediate action.
The chief minister also ordered warnings for managing directors responsible for poor performance. The meeting reviewed the programme’s progress and discussed measures to improve waste collection and monitoring.
Managing Directors to Face Action Over Poor Performance
During the meeting, officials decided to remove the managing directors of Kasur, Faisalabad and Okara. The decision followed complaints about unsatisfactory sanitation services in these areas.
The meeting also decided that officials removed from Suthra Punjab due to poor performance would not receive other government postings. The move aims to establish accountability among officials responsible for sanitation services.
The authorities also discussed stronger monitoring of field staff. Officials decided to install body cameras to track the activities of Suthra Punjab field monitoring officers.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed deputy commissioners to monitor these officers daily. She also ordered the establishment of a dedicated monitoring section to oversee their performance.
Digital Monitoring and Anti-Littering Measures
The chief minister directed officials to make the Suthra Punjab beat system fully operational across the province. The system is intended to improve waste collection and ensure better coverage of designated areas.
She also ordered the use of digital challans through Safe City cameras under the anti-littering campaign. These measures are aimed at identifying violations and improving compliance with cleanliness rules.
During the briefing, officials reported that payments to Suthra Punjab workers had been completed on time in most tehsils. They also confirmed that anti-littering squads were operating across all divisions.
According to the briefing, these squads have conducted 77,137 inspections across Punjab. They have issued 9,353 warnings and imposed 19 challans.
In Lahore, anti-littering squads carried out 53,186 inspections. Officials also reported that 2,156 digital challans had been issued through Safe City cameras.
Thousands of Waste Bins Installed Across Punjab
The meeting also reviewed the province’s waste disposal facilities and public complaints. Officials informed participants that 37,852 waste bins had been installed at different locations across Punjab.
The briefing further revealed that authorities had received 676,551 complaints related to the Suthra Punjab programme. Officials said 99 percent of these complaints had been resolved.
The reported figures provided an overview of the programme’s progress and remaining challenges. However, the latest directive places renewed emphasis on improving door-to-door waste collection within the next 15 days.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif has instructed relevant officials to strengthen field monitoring and address sanitation complaints. The coming deadline will require local administrations to improve service delivery and ensure greater accountability across Punjab.
In other related news also read Maryam Nawaz Inaugurates Jinnah Institute of Cardiology
The measures include closer supervision of field officers, digital enforcement against littering and action against underperforming officials. The government has set the 15-day target to improve the overall performance of the Suthra Punjab campaign.
