Lahore declares August 4 public holiday

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed authorities to intensify sanitation efforts across the province, ordering daily early-morning washing of major roads and improved cleanliness in housing societies, markets and residential areas. Chairing a review meeting on the Suthra Punjab programme, the chief minister instructed officials to ensure effective waste management in both cooperative and private housing societies. She also directed the introduction of uniform dustbins and garbage bags in commercial areas, along with fixed schedules for waste removal. Maryam ordered the daily washing and cleaning of main roads at 5am and stressed that sanitation efforts must extend beyond major thoroughfares to streets, neighbourhoods and vacant plots. Authorities were also told to ensure door-to-door garbage collection across Punjab. The chief minister directed that Suthra Punjab workers receive their salaries by the fifth of every month and called for monthly reports to verify timely payments. She also ordered the early clearance of contractors’ outstanding dues and warned of immediate action if delays in workers’ salaries occurred. Special attention was ordered for areas surrounding schools, colleges, universities and hospitals, as well as parks and green belts. Officials were directed to remove discarded bottles, juice boxes and other waste from these locations. Maryam further instructed authorities to improve sanitation around railway tracks in urban areas and ensure that the entry and exit points of cities are cleaned regularly. Deputy commissioners were asked to maintain close coordination with contractors and the managing directors of Water and Sanitation Authorities to monitor progress. The chief minister also called for uniform standards for field monitoring officers and directed that their motorcycles carry proper branding. Standard operating procedures are to be developed to evaluate sanitation performance at every level, from field workers to senior officers, with particular attention to cleanliness in fruit and vegetable markets. She directed that contractors violating sanitation standards should initially be given 24 hours to correct shortcomings before any financial penalty is imposed. “Imposing fines is not our objective; the focus should be on ensuring cleanliness,” she said, while calling for zero tolerance against persistent negligence. The chief minister also ordered regular cleaning of Suthra Punjab vehicles, waste containers and collection points. She praised sanitation efforts in Lahore, Khanewal, Okara, Attock, Kasur and Murree but directed teams in Faisalabad, Sialkot, Sheikhupura and other areas to improve their performance. Maryam Nawaz said the next review meeting would be held the following week to evaluate implementation of the directives and measure progress under the province-wide cleanliness campaign.