ISLAMABAD, June 1: The capital’s civic body is finding it difficult to maintain cleanliness in the city as it is facing shortage of latest sanitation equipment, sources told Dawn.

They said half of the vehicles and garbage-lifting equipment was outdated or out of order. As a result, the authority’s directorate of sanitation management was finding it difficult to maintain cleanliness. They said several reminders had been sent to the CDA, but the situation remained the same.

A CDA official told this reporter that only four garbage- collector vehicles were functional. At present, the sanitation directorate possessed 20 garbage-removing machines, including nine Liaz (Czech-made) garbage collectors, five skips, four trash removers, two compacter units and seven tractor trolleys. However, 50 per cent of the equipment is inoperational, the official claimed.

The sources said the sanitation directorate had sent requisition time and again to the authorities concerned, but they failed to fulfil the demand.

This deteriorating situation compelled the CDA to hire private contractors for many sectors/sub-sectors of the federal capital to maintain cleanliness. At present, the private contractors are performing sanitation duties in about eight sectors — G-6, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, I-10, I-11 and Fruit and Vegetable Market.

The official said these sectors were densely populated, therefore, it was not easy for the directorate to maintain cleanliness.