Quetta, In a significant move to overhaul the city’s solid waste management system, Chief Minister of Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti chaired a detailed review meeting at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Friday. The meeting aimed to address the persistent issues of waste management in Quetta, with plans to outsource garbage collection starting in August to ensure a cleaner city environment.
According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Balochistan, the session was attended by key officials including Chief Minister Imran Zirkun, Secretary Municipalities Abdul Rauf Baloch, Secretary Planning Lal Jan Jafar, Special Secretary Isfandiar Baloch, Commissioner Quetta Division and Administrator Metropolitan Corporation Hamza Shafaqat, CEO of Public Private Partnership Authority Faisal Khan, among others. During the briefing, Hamza Shafaqat informed the attendees that one and a half lakh tons of garbage had been removed from Quetta city, with 80 percent of the city’s drain also cleaned.
The transition to a public-private partnership model for garbage collection is a strategic move aimed at improving efficiency and coverage of the city’s waste management system. The Chief Minister emphasized that this new approach should be meticulously implemented to ensure the city remains free of garbage heaps. The plan includes employing permanent staff of the Metropolitan Corporation for municipal services in 58 new suburban wards, while the temporary employees’ fate will be decided by the partnering company.
Chief Minister Bugti also ordered a thorough review and immediate payment of the Metropolitan Corporation’s extraordinary fuel expenses from previous periods, with the anti-corruption establishment tasked to investigate fuel expenses amounting to 70 crore rupees.
In light of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, the Chief Minister directed that the cleaning campaign be intensified rather than scaled down, declaring that there will be no leave for officials during the festival, including himself. He stressed the importance of keeping the city, especially key areas like Roor Airport, clean and presentable to visitors from abroad and other cities.
The meeting underscored the government’s commitment to transform Quetta’s waste management through increased capacity, legal compliance, and a focus on transparency and merit in the tendering process. “A good performance will be appreciated while any shortcomings will be corrected,” affirmed Chief Minister Bugti, signaling a proactive stance towards improving the city’s cleanliness and operational efficiency.