Rawalpindi, (Parliament Times) : Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Laiqat Ali Chatha has directed the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts of the division to immediately enforce Section 144 to ensure that garbage is not dumped anywhere in the city except at designated dumping sites. Apart from this, Rawalpindi Waste Management Company should identify another landfill site away from the Posh area where another transfer station can be constructed. Laiqat Ali Chatha reprimanded the municipal corporation officers for complaints of dumping of construction material everywhere in the city. He said that the place of Liaquat Bagh station has been allocated for dumping construction material so strict implementation should be ensured in this regard. He reiterated that an FIR will be filed against the concerned officer if construction material is found lying anywhere in the city and obviously against the one who has thrown it. While passing the map before constructing any building, the concerned agency should also seek an undertaking from the party about the dumping of building material and also ensure its implementation. He directed DG RDA that approve housing in the city Societies which are 74, and among them, those who do not have their dumping stations, should be issued show cause notices and asked to answer where they dump their garbage. He directed that these societies should be made to sign a contract with Rawalpindi Waste Management to oblige them to dump the waste at the Losar disposal site, otherwise, their registration would be canceled. He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting held at the Commissioner’s Office, Rawalpindi. Additional Commissioner Coordination Syed Nazarat Ali, Chairman Rawalpindi Waste Management Company Saqib Rafiq, Director General Rawalpindi Development Authority Saif Anwar Jappa, DG PHA Ahmed Hasan Ranjha, MD WASA Tanveer Gondal, Chief Officer Municipal Corporation Amjad Chaudhry, Director Local Gov. Sibtain Kazmi, CO Rawalpindi Waste Management Company Sajid Safdar and other concerned officers were also present in this meeting.
Commissioner Rawalpindi further said that many problems can be solved on the spot by improving the coordination among departments. He directed that the responsibility of cleaning the covered drains in the city lies with WASA whereas open drains are the responsibility of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company. Laiqat Ali Chatha directed the Municipal Corporation to register all the vendors, allot them specific numbers, and make it mandatory for them to keep a wastebasket with them. Along with closing your business in the evening, all waste should be placed in this waste basket and thrown at the nearest dumping point instead of throwing it on the road or footpath. Commissioner Rawalpindi said that he will visit four union councils every week in the early morning and review the implementation of all these detailed instructions. Laiqat Ali Chatha said that cleaning the city is not the responsibility of any single organization. The dream of a waste-free Rawalpindi will come true only when all the departments work together and the citizens also play their role in the cleanliness campaign by following the principle of cleanliness is half faith. A clean environment is not so far and can easily be achieved if every person cleans his garbage.
