LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment has unearthed ‘massive’ corruption to the tune of Rs1bn in the “Suthra Punjab” project in Faisalabad and booked over 10 officials and contractors.

The Punjab government has recently launched ambitious artificial intelligence (AI)-based sanitation monitoring system across the province, bringing tens of thousands of workers and vehicles under digital oversight as part of its flagship multi-billion Suthra Punjab initiative.

According to the FIR, digital data was manipulated to commit corruption. “M/s Care Consortium contractor engaged for providing waste management service in the urban and rural areas of Faisalabad containing serious allegations of receiving extra payments on the basis of wrong entries and data manipulation in the digital portal.”

It says the said contractor in connivance with the staff of IT and operation of the Faisalabad Waste Management Company(FWMC) has caused a loss of Rs1bn to the national exchequer.

10 officials, contractors booked

Ghost waste enclosures and employees were another method applied by the suspects to mint money.

The ACE has booked former CEO/MD of FWMC Muhammad Raoof, manager operations Abdullah Nazir Bajwa, manager Asad Elahi, manager finance Ahsan Nadim, transport officer Arshad Ansari, sanitary inspector Abid, manager procurement Waqas Asghar, manager procurement district manager FWMC Hafiz Tayyab, contractors of the said firm Muhammad Farooq Khan, Muhammad Qaisar, Muhammad Shafiq and Rai Qamar Zaman under section 409, 166, 420, 468 and 471 of the PPC.

Meanwhile, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari said in a statement: “In the Suthra Punjab Programme, corruption in Faisalabad was timely detected through a modern live dashboard monitoring system, and the case was immediately referred to anti-corruption authorities.”

She said the chief minister personally initiated accountability of a public project, brought the matter into the public domain, and ensured action against those responsible.

She said upon noticing irregularities in the Suthra Punjab Programme in Faisalabad, the CM promptly dispatched a special team of auditors to the site. “The investigation team, after reaching the field, exposed an organized nexus between contractors and certain government officials.”

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2026