QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri said on Wednesday that Quetta would be turned into a modern city just as Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has made Lahore a modern and clean city.

He said that all available resources would be provided to make Quetta city absolutely neat and clean as it was the face of Balochistan. All the civic services and amenities would be extended to all the people living in the provincial capital without any discrimination.

Speaking at the handing over of heavy machinery to the mayor of Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC), Dr Kaleemullah, on Wednesday, Nawab Zehri said he would not tolerate any lethargy and incompetence in turning the provincial capital into a neat and clean city.

Provincial Ministers Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Dr Hamid Achakzai, Sardar Raza Muhammad Bareach, MPA Prince Ali and Deputy Mayor Younis Lehri also attended the ceremony.

Nawab Zehri said that he had provided Rs1 billion to the QMC to make Quetta clean and to dispose of several million tons of garbage accumulated in the city.

He asked municipal leaders and representatives to remove encroachments from all parts of the city immediately.

“Officials and municipal leaders must shrug off the label of incompetency and inefficiency at once,” the chief minister said.

Mr Zehri claimed that he had devoted his full attention and energy to bringing about an improvement in the quality of life of the people of the provincial capital and allocated a huge amount of money to keep the city clean and disease-free.

He said he had also provided special funds to the QMC to enable it to dispose of filth and dirt from all population centres.

Nawab Zehri said that the QMC and its municipal leadership would have to create awareness among residents to keep the city clean and properly use civic services and amenities.

He said Quetta belonged to all its people and all those living here should get best possible civic amenities.

The chief minister told the gathering that he had already instructed the local government department to conclude an agreement with the private sector for solid waste management through a joint venture.

Mr Zehri told the mayor and his colleagues that dirt, filth and waste should be disposed of on a daily basis and there should be no garbage dump in any part of the city.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2017