RAWALPINDI, March 31: Rawalpindi administration intends to hand over the solid waste management in the city to Turkish companies on the pattern of Lahore.But according to official sources, the city district government Rawalpindi (CDGR) would first establish Rawalpindi Waste Management Company for handing over entire solid wastes management affairs to international firms.

Two Turkish companies—Albayrak and Ozpak—have been engaged in Lahore for collection of solid wastes in the city and their transportation and according to sources, the same model was being proposed by the authorities in Rawalpindi.

The sources said like Lahore, the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company would be an autonomous body and headed by a DMG officer.

Dawn has learnt that the district administration is planning to dehire the services of a private company that had qualified last year for installing refused derived fuel (RDF) plant at the landfill site for converting the wastes into energy.

Sources said that the city daily generated 850 tons solid waste daily while annually 200,000 tons of the trash was dumped at the landfill site.

“Yes we want to introduce Lahore model in Rawalpindi as the collection and transportation of waste in the provincial capital is remarkable. Rawalpindi is a big city and there is a need to form government-controlled waste management company in the city,” Saqib Zaffar, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rawalpindi, told Dawn on Saturday.

He said that international expertise would be hired for speedy collection and disposal of the waste while the district administration would retain the job of treatment and converting it into energy.

“The budget that we get for solid waste management would be transferred to the private companies. The Lahore model is a good example for us and we will follow it in the larger interest of people and the district administration,” Mr Zaffar maintained.