- Advertisement -
BAHAWALPUR, Oct 24 (APP):A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Dr. Farhan Farooq regarding outsourcing of the solid waste management system in Bahawalpur district.
The meeting reviewed the progress made so far on the outsourcing of the solid waste management system in the tehsils of Bahawalpur district under the Clean Punjab Programme of the Punjab government. Assistant Commissioner Bahawalpur City Shakeeb Sarwar, Assistant Commissioner Bahawalpur Sadar Ahmad Sher Gondal, Deputy Director Local Government Khurshid Ahmed, CEO Bahawalpur Waste Management Company Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, Assistant Director Local Government Bahawalpur Sadar Ijaz Lashari, Chief Officer District Council Nasrullah Malik, officers of Bahawalpur Waste Management Company and contractors were present at the meeting. Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioners of Tehsil Ahmadpur East, Tehsil Hasilpur, Tehsil Khairpur Tamewali, and Tehsil Yazman participated in the meeting via video link.
CEO Bahawalpur Waste Management Company Muhammad Naeem Akhtar briefed the Deputy Commissioner of Bahawalpur, stating that the Punjab government has initiated a flagship model for outsourcing the solid waste management system through a public-private partnership to improve the cleanliness standards of rural populations and remote areas, bringing them to urban levels. This will enable the benefits of cleanliness and a healthy environment to reach the grassroots level. He informed that the outsourcing process for all tehsils in the Bahawalpur district has been completed, and during this period, contractors who successfully bid for Tehsil Yazman, Tehsil Hasilpur, Tehsil Khairpur Tamewali, and Tehsil Bahawalpur Sadar have been shortlisted, and they will soon be awarded work contracts. He further mentioned that due to no party participating in the bidding for the outsourcing of Tehsil Ahmadpur East, a new tender has been issued, which will be completed soon. Meanwhile, the solid waste management system for Tehsil Bahawalpur City will not be outsourced, and the Bahawalpur Waste Management Company will continue its services in Bahawalpur City. He added that the workforce and machinery present in the tehsils will be handed over to the successful contractors.
Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Dr. Farhan Farooq, while addressing the meeting, stated that considering the deteriorating situation of the solid waste management system at the rural level, the Punjab government has taken the initiative to outsource the solid waste management system, which will yield positive and far-reaching results. The Deputy Commissioner of Bahawalpur directed that the successful contractors in the Bahawalpur district should promptly prepare their operational plans and ensure the availability of the required machinery and workforce in the relevant tehsils so that there are no obstacles during the cleaning operations. The Deputy Commissioner also issued instructions to all Assistant Commissioners of the tehsils to complete the identification of dumping sites in their respective areas. He directed the officers of the Bahawalpur Waste Management Company to organize training workshops for all contractors and BWMC staff as soon as possible.