RAWALPINDI: The City District Government of Rawalpindi (CDGR) and Rawalpindi Solid Waste Management Company (SWMC) have signed a services and assets management agreement under which the company would take charge of the sanitation of the district.

According to the plan, the solid waste company will take over the charge of the entire district and the solid waste management department will be abolished.

All 1,700 sanitation workers’ services and machinery will be handed over to the new company.

The company will invite international bidders this month to outsource work in phases.

In Lahore, the SWMC has given contract to a Turkish company, Al-Burrak, and has started work in few union councils.

In response to the workers’ concern about the imminent downsizing, Municipal Service Workers

Union president Farooq Ahmed Khan told Dawn: “We will resist the agreement if the workers’ right is not protected.”

He said the government would give Rs2 billion to the private company for sanitation work in the district.

“At present, Rs660 million are provided annually to the Solid Waste Management Department to meet their expenditures,” he said.

District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar said the handing over of the services was likely to be completed in one month.

“The future of the employees will be protected with all benefits. The only difference between the present and future system will be that the workers cannot avoid performing their duty without any solid reason,” he said.