Garbage Lifting In City: Govt Issues LoI For 3 DMCs To Chinese Firms

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th july, 2016) : Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah taking a policy decision has approved to award garbage lifting assignment of three DMCs to Chinese firms but this must be done on war footings, says a statement issued here on Wednesday. "I want you (Local government department) to expedite the process and sign agreement with the company within three weeks and then start work within another three months", the statement quoting the Chief Minister added. It said that he was presiding over a meeting on garbage lifting issues here at the CM House on Wednesday. Minister Local Government Jam Khan Shoro briefing the chief minister said that 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) to 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 work should start within next one month.

"This is time frame and you have to manage the things accordingly," he ordered. Shoro said that in DMC East 322,357 tons of garbage are 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 of the Chief Minister, Shoro said that the work would be awarded for a period of seven year. Talking about the cost of the project, the Minister said that it would come to $9.

65 million per year, and they would be working for seven years if the concerned DMCs seems to be satisfied with their performance.

Briefing the Chief Minister on DMC South, he said that it generates 491,590 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 that 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 that the people of this city have 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 we have restored peace in this megalopolis city," he said added that now another challenge of keeping this city near and clean has emerged and "I have accepted it.

My team is good and 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 provide relief in municipal functions also.

"I am giving you (Shoro) six weeks for entire exercise up to start of the work and hope you would not insist on extending the date,"the CM said.