Despite frequent requests made by the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration, the Federal Government had not released the approved grant, on Tuesday, of Rs 10 million for establishing garbage sites in the rural areas of the district. An ICT source said the government set aside Rs 10 million in 2011 for establishing garbage sites in 12 union councils of rural Islamabad, which do not have a single site to dispose off the garbage. However, the money is yet to be released. The residents of these union councils have been disposing off garbage on a self-help basis in empty plots, graveyard and gutters. The accumulated garbage now posed a serious health hazard to the locals. A senior ICT official, while talking to Pakistan Today, said after approving the PC-I of the project and setting aside the money, the government had assured the ICT administration that the funds would be released shortly. The residents of the areas demanded that the government immediately release the approved grant. “We have been requesting the authorities to establish garbage dumping sites to maintain hygienic conditions in our areas, however, no initiative has been taken by the authorities, leaving us vulnerable to diseases,” said Faiz Khan, a resident of Bharakau.
