Lahore: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Saturday directed authorities to ensure cleanliness in cooperative and private housing societies and improve the performance of the Suthra Punjab programme across the province.
Presiding over a meeting in Lahore, the chief minister ordered the use of uniform dustbins and garbage bags in markets, bazaars and commercial areas, and directed authorities to set specific timings for waste removal from commercial areas. She ordered the washing and cleaning of main roads at 5am and stressed that cleanliness operations should also cover streets and neighbourhoods, besides vacant plots.
The chief minister directed that Suthra Punjab workers be paid by the fifth of every month and sought monthly reports from companies on payments to workers. She also ordered early payment of outstanding dues to Suthra Punjab contractors and immediate action in cases of delays in workers’ salaries.
Maryam directed authorities to ensure door-to-door waste collection and instructed additional deputy commissioners (social services) across the province to monitor cleanliness. She also ordered that the requirements for sanitation workers and mechanical machinery be met according to local needs.
She directed authorities to ensure cleanliness around schools, colleges, universities and hospitals, as well as in parks and greenbelts. Empty bottles, juice boxes and other waste were also ordered to be removed. The chief minister ordered measures to clean urban areas around railway tracks across Punjab and directed that city entry and exit points be cleaned daily and on time.
Deputy commissioners were directed to maintain regular contact with relevant contractors and hold meetings with managing directors of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa). The chief minister also ordered uniforms for field monitoring officers and branding of their motorcycles.
She directed the formulation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to assess performance at every level, from Suthra Punjab workers to officers, with particular attention to cleanliness in fruit and vegetable markets.
Under the proposed mechanism, contractors would be given 24 hours to improve performance in case of an SOP violation before a fine is imposed. “Imposing fines is not our objective; the focus should be on ensuring cleanliness,” Maryam said, directing a zero-tolerance policy against those who fail to perform under the Suthra Punjab programme.
She also ordered regular cleaning of Suthra Punjab vehicles, containers and waste collection points. The chief minister directed authorities to implement all the orders and called another review meeting after seven days to assess progress.
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