RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Commissioner Aamir Khattak on Thursday directed officials to make the garrison city neat and green while launching beautification and cleanliness drives.
He issued these directives while reviewing the work of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) and the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), and asked them to further improve the cleanliness system in both rural and urban areas of Rawalpindi.
During his visit to the PHA offices, he reviewed current and upcoming beautification and upgradation projects for parks and green belts in Rawalpindi. He praised the efforts of the PHA for making the city beautiful and green.
He appreciated the process of growing plants and flowers at the Gorakhpur Nursery and stressed the need to make the breeding process more effective.
He further said that more steps should be taken to promote a green environment in the city.
The commissioner also gave special instructions to beautify the pillars of the metro track and issued necessary directions to improve the security and appearance of parks.
He said that special focus should be placed on the plantation campaign to transform Rawalpindi into a city of flowers and promote a green environment.
Speaking about the plantation campaign, he said that such plants should be grown that thrive easily and their care should be ensured under a regular, integrated system. He added that special facilities should be provided for persons with disabilities in parks and that the public should be equipped with the best recreational amenities.
PHA Director General Ahmed Hassan Ranjha expressed his resolve that the PHA is committed to serving the people and will make Rawalpindi a green city in line with the vision of the Punjab government.
During his visit to the head office of the RWMC, the commissioner was given a comprehensive briefing on the company’s overall performance, ongoing cleanliness operations, and monitoring mechanisms.
In the central control room, RWMC officials briefed him on the technology-based monitoring system, location tracking, and key aspects of field operations. The commissioner conducted a live review of cleanliness operations underway in all tehsils and rural areas of the division, directing that monitoring staff be made more proactive.
He instructed officials to maintain strict checks on the attendance of field staff and ordered that all operational vehicles remain fully functional at all times. He emphasised that officers must conduct regular field visits to personally assess the cleanliness situation.
He further directed that road washing be accelerated to control smog and that complete washing of waste containers in both urban and rural areas be ensured.
He instructed all tehsils to submit daily waste tonnage reports and made it clear that the standard of cleanliness in rural areas must match that of urban centres, with no compromises acceptable. He stressed the need to further improve the speed and monitoring of cleanliness operations to ensure a clean and healthy environment for the public.
Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2025