A Chinese dustbin that was recently installed in UC-29, Gulzaar-e-Hijri area of Karachi as a part of the garbage lifting initiative by the local government was burnt by “unidentified people” on Saturday, according to reports.
UC29 is a part of NA253 which is a renowned MQM constituency. These dustbins were installed all over Karachi by a Chinese firm hired by the Sindh Government Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah in February.
This assignment is a part of the initiative undertaken by the local government to take care of Karachi’s litter problem which has made locals miserable.
Under this new outsource arrangement, Chinese companies have been hired by the local govt to clean at least two DMCs, South and East. These companies will be responsible for 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.
DMC South generates around 4,91,590 tons of municipal solid waste, whereas DMC East generates around 3,22,357 tons of garbage on a daily basis.
The initial costs of this assignment were estimated to be around $9.65 and $14.254 million per year for both the DMCs, and these companies will be working for at least seven years if the concerned DMCs are satisfied with their performance.
The burning of these dustbins causes a major setback to the local govt’s attempts at cleaning the city.
Read more: Chinese contractors to lift garbage from 3 Karachi DMCs
