LAHORE  -  Provincial Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq has said that in line with the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif regarding Suthra Punjab, the bidding process has been completed in 64 tehsils of the province and the pre-qualification process will be completed in the rest of tehsils during October.  He was chairing a meeting at the Civil Secretariat here on Tuesday.  Secretary Local Government Department Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Additional Secretary Maria Tariq, CEO of LWMC Babar Sahib Din were also present while CEOs of other waste management companies participated through video link.

On this occasion, the progress on Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Suthra Punjab program and outsourcing model was reviewed in detail.

Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq expressed his satisfaction over the significant progress on outsourcing of cleaning system in Punjab. He said that the active participation of private contractors in the new system is clear proof of confidence in the Chief Minister’s vision. The provincial minister, while directing the pre-qualification work to be accelerated, reiterated his commitment to introduce a sanitation system that would be long-lasting and effective as well. Zeeshan Rafiq directed CEOs of waste management companies to be in constant touch with qualified private contractors for better service delivery. “Outsourcing is a new experience, we all have to understand the challenges being faced. I am happy that CEOs have learned a lot from recent experiences,” he added.

The minister also expressed the hope that once this standard system of sanitation is implemented, there will be ease. He said that the preparation for release of funds required for outsourcing model is complete. “InshaAllah, cent percent door-to-door waste collection model will be operational soon”, he pledged.