Directive to monitor outsourcing model of sanitation

LAHORE: Provincial Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq has directed all the district administrations to monitor the newly-introduced outsourcing model of sanitation, stressing that maximum involvement of citizens is necessary for the success of the new system.

While presiding over a video link meeting of commissioners and deputy commissioners across Punjab along with Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman at the Civil Secretariat, he said that the outsourcing process has been completed in 64 tehsils. ‘All waste management companies except Lahore and Sahiwal divisions will complete the rest of process this month’, he added.

During the meeting, necessary instructions were issued while reviewing the progress on Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Suthra Punjab programme in detail. Zeeshan Rafiq said that, after outsourcing, zero-waste work should be completed in each tehsil before handing over the responsibility to private contractors. ‘Secretary local government has formed a coordination committee in each tehsil. The assistant commissioner concerned should call a meeting of the Coordination Committee and ensure zero-waste and other arrangements’, added the minister.

Zeeshan Rafiq further said that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz will inaugurate the outsourcing model next month. He stressed that there would be no compromise on the goals set by the chief minister regarding cleanliness.

‘For the first time, an organised system of sanitation is being introduced in rural and urban areas, so no stone should remain unturned’, he said. It is a new experience to create an effective sanitation monitoring mechanism in the villages. Hence, there is a need for every district administration to understand the requirements of the new system well in advance and make every effort to remove the loopholes, he said.

Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman directed the commissioners to set up an effective monitoring mechanism, adding that goals can be achieved only with effective monitoring. The chief secretary expressed his resolve that the chief minister’s vision of clean Punjab would be implemented in letter and spirit.

PHA hosts body balancing session

A special body balancing and stretching session was held at the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) yoga centre in Racecourse Park, a spokesperson announced on Friday. Opened in January, the fitness centre offers a variety of yoga styles, ranging from gentle, meditative practices to more intense formats.

The recent session drew a large number of fitness enthusiasts and included an informative lecture on the benefits of yoga, focusing on ways to improve flexibility and strength. According to the spokesperson, yoga can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and increase physical energy.