The stallholders at Ramadan bazaars are dumping solid waste, stale fruits and vegetables, grocery items and commodities of daily usage in open drains which is likely to clog the sewerage system in the city.
A senior CDGL official told Pakistan Today that waste disposal was a common practice but the disruption of the sewerage system by Ramadan bazaar stallholders was something new. The residents of Shadman are particularly concerned over the sanitation situation in their area.
They say that the Ramadan bazaar has been set up near the Cantt drain where the stallholders are dumping solid waste and disrupting sanitation.
Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) Managing Director Waseem Ajmal said that LWMC’s job was restricted only to providing cleaning services and was not responsible for taking action against the violators and that Solid Waste Management (SWM) of CDGL is authorised to penalize the violators.
An LWMC official told Pakistan Today that LWMC had devised a special Ramadan cleaning plan.
He said that according to the plan, LWMC staff was trying to provide better cleaning services around the Sehr and Iftar times and that the LWMC has placed waste bins and containers to ensure proper waste disposal. He added that awareness literature was being distributed to ensure public cooperation and special LWMC camps had been set up in the Ramadan bazaars to counter pollution.
