LAHORE: Punjab senior minister Aleem Khan has directed the local government department to stop looking for more landfill sites and ensure that the solid waste collected from the provincial metropolis be utilised to generate electricity and making useful items through its recycling.

He has also ordered closure of a Rs400 million project meant for just collection of solid and chemical waste from hospitals.

Instead, he has asked the department to invite bids from international firms to set up plants on built-operate-transfer (BOT) basis to treat the solid and chemical waste being produced by all government and private hospitals in the province.

It is learnt that some Chinese companies are already showing interest in the project.

The minister was presiding over a meeting to thrash out working of a firm, to be hired, for the treatment of solid and chemical waste. The local government secretary and other officials concerned were present.

Task to be given to foreign firm

He ordered formulation of a comprehensive policy for proper waste treatment and added that stern action would be taken if any hospital was found not complying with the laid down instructions.

Mr Khan said the cleanliness work would be monitored on a daily basis and added that zonal officer would be removed, if there would be any complaint.

Acknowledging that the available arrangements were insufficient for collection of all the waste being generated in the city, the minister said more international companies should be invited through bids for the purpose.

The minister said a system should be evolved for waste collection in private housing societies.

The minister withdrew the task of cleanliness of Multan Metro stations and track from the Lahore Solid Waste Management Company (LWMC) and asserted that a local institution should handle such jobs in every city. He also asked the company’s managing director to himself supervise the cleanliness task in each area.

Local government Secretary Saif Anjum, in his briefing, said a third-party evaluation was being conducted to determine per capita cost of cleanliness. He assured the department’s support to the LWMC.

The company’s Managing Director Farukh Qayyum Butt pledged further improvement in its performance and added that vigilance would be tightened to ensure that citizens were provided with healthy environment.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2018