LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said that cleanliness should be ensured in cooperative and private housing societies, directing authorities to further improve the performance of the Suthra Punjab programme across the province.

Presiding over a meeting here on Saturday, the CM ordered the use of uniform dustbins and garbage bags in markets, bazaars and commercial areas and directed that specific timings be fixed for removal of waste from commercial areas.

She ordered washing and cleaning of main roads at 5am and stressed the need for cleaning streets and neighbourhoods besides main roads as well as to start cleaning vacant plots.

She also ordered payment to the Suthra Punjab workers by the fifth of every month and sought monthly reports from the companies regarding payments to workers.

Directs to ensure payments to Suthra Punjab workers by fifth of every month

She directed early payment of outstanding dues to Suthra Punjab contractors and immediate action in case of delays in payment of workers’ salaries.

The CM ordered to ensure door-to-door waste collection and directed the additional deputy commissioners (social services) across the province to monitor the cleanliness situation. She directed that requirements for workers and mechanical machinery be met according to local needs.

She also ordered cleanliness around schools, colleges, universities and hospitals, as well as in parks and greenbelts, directing the removal of empty bottles, juice boxes and other waste.

The CM ordered measures for cleaning urban areas around railway tracks across the province and directed that the entry and exit points of cities be cleaned daily and on time.

Deputy commissioners were directed to maintain continuous contact and hold meetings with the relevant contractors and managing directors of Wasa. She also ordered uniforms for field monitoring officers and branding of their motorcycles.

She said standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be formulated to assess performance at every level, from Suthra Punjab workers to officers, with special focus on cleanliness in vegetable and fruit markets. She also directed that in case of violation of the SOPs, contractors should be given 24 hours to improve their performance before imposing a fine.

“Imposing fines is not our objective; the focus should be on ensuring cleanliness,” she said, adding that a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted against those who fail to perform under Suthra Punjab.

The chief minister directed regular cleaning of Suthra Punjab vehicles, containers and waste collection points.

She directed that all orders be implemented and summoned another review meeting after seven days to assess progress.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2026