Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah taking a policy decision approved to award garbage lifting assignment of three DMCs to Chinese firms on war footings.
The chief minister said this while presiding over a meeting on garbage lifting issues at the CM House on Wednesday.
Minister Local Government Jam Khan Shoro briefed the chief minister and said with the approval of the government he had invited international tenders for sweeping and garbage lifting of three DMCs – Korangi, East and South.
“The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) has issued Letter of Intent (LoI) of two DMCs, South and East, to a Chinese firm and soon we would sign an agreement with them,” he said. On this, the chief minister directed him to sign agreement within three weeks and to start work from next month. “This is timeframe and you have to manage the things accordingly,” he ordered.
Shoro said in DMC East 3,22,357 tons of garbage was generated daily. “Under the new outsource arrangement right from front end collection (house to house to dustbin/katchra kundi), sweeping of roads and streets and then lifting the garbage from garbage transfer station (GTC) to landfill site would be done by the company,” he said.
Replying to a question, Shoro said that the contract would be awarded for a period of seven years.
Talking about the cost of project, the minister said it would come to $9.65 million per year, and they would be working for seven years if the concerned DMCs are satisfied with their performance.
Briefing the chief minister on DMC South, he said it generated 4,91,590 tons of municipal solid waste. The LoI has been issued to the same company for $14.254 million per year. It would also be a seven year contract.
He said the company would provide baskets to the houses for garbage and then there would be covered katchra kundies to dump household waste there and then it would be collected from there. “This is for the first time mechanical garbage collection and lifting would be made by a private company,” he said, and added that this would bring corruption in the sector to an end.
The chief minister said the people of this city had suffered a lot. They faced terrorists, extortionists and target killers. “I am proud to say that our government, with the help of police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies, have restored peace in this megalopolis city,” he said. Now another challenge of keeping this city neat and clean had emerged, he added. “I have accepted it. My team is good but we have to develop a strong team work for the purpose,” he said.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah directed the local government minister to take personal efforts to expedite signing of contract agreement with the company so that people could be provided relief in municipal functions also. “I am giving you (Mr Shoro) six weeks for entire exercise up to start of the work and hope you would not insist on extending the date,” he said.
