LAHORE, Dec 5: The Mahmood Booti compost plant is nearing completion and will start operating from January. The executive district officer (municipal services) inspected the plant along with the district officer (environment), the district officer, Solid Waste Management, and the district officer (planning) on Monday and was briefed on the progress of work on it.

He was informed that most of the construction work was almost complete and arrangements were being made for the installation of machinery.

The plant is being built on 300 kanals provided by the city district government on a 25-year lease. It will require an average of 1,000 tons of waste for the production of fertilizer daily. Donation: Pakistan Customs donated confiscated medical equipment worth Rs20 million for the earthquake-hit people here on Monday.

Relief minister Gul Hamid Rokhari, relief director-general Irfan Elahi, health services director-general Dr Aslam Chaudhry, additional director-general Dr Atiqur Rehman and chief drug inspector Islam Mufti received the equipment, including nine dialysis machines, 15 medical cameras, seven blood/fluid warmers and one filtration system from Lahore deputy collector Fayyaz Anwar.

Mr Rokhari said on the occasion the equipment would be handed over to the federal relief commission for installation in different hospitals in the earthquake-affected areas.