During a special meeting on the “Suthra Punjab” initiative chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif today, it was decided that legal action will be taken and fines will be imposed within 15 days against citizens who litter in public places across Punjab.
This new policy is part of a comprehensive provincial sanitation reform that will introduce several first-time measures, including the deployment of a modern fleet of eco-friendly electric vehicles for garbage collection.
Taking a significant step towards sustainability, the administration has also approved a “Waste to Value” project aimed at generating both revenue and energy from waste. The Chief Minister has directed that a detailed plan for this project be submitted by mid-January.
Under the “Suthra Punjab” program, traditional brooms will be phased out, to be replaced by modern mechanical sweepers. The initiative will also see an increase in the number of sanitation staff in all union councils.
Operational changes include the provision of sanitation services on Sundays for the first time, ensuring continuous maintenance of all streets and alleys. To improve waste management infrastructure, there are plans to construct dedicated enclosures for dustbins and containers.
A proposal to allocate one tractor for every two union councils is under consideration to further enhance garbage collection capacity.
During a briefing, officials highlighted new measures for transparency and efficiency, including a digitized salary system for sanitation staff. A vehicle tracking management system and live container monitoring are now active for vehicle inspections and performance checks of waste management companies.
Commenting on the scale of the new system, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said, “A sanitation system of this magnitude is nothing short of a miracle.” She added that a comprehensive plan for cities and villages “should have been made years ago.”
The Chief Minister said, “We started from scratch and are gradually improving the ‘Suthra Punjab’ project,” adding that her administration is “receiving positive feedback from the public across the province.”