Suthra Punjab: Maryam Nawaz Gives 7-Day Deadline for Beat System
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has given the authorities a seven-day deadline to implement the Suthra Punjab beat system across the province, ordered the removal of underperforming private sanitation companies and directed officials to ensure payment of outstanding dues to sanitation workers.
Chairing a review meeting of the programme on Tuesday, the chief minister sought a comprehensive micro-plan for cleanliness and a province-wide progress report by next week. She directed that the required workforce and machinery be in place within a week.
What the Suthra Punjab review decided
It was decided that companies scoring below 80 per cent in any tehsil would be issued warnings, while the contracts of those scoring below 50 per cent would be terminated. The chief minister ordered government-run sanitation operations to be activated within a week as an alternative where private contractors fail.
She stressed that sanitation workers must not suffer because of unpaid dues from contractors. Officials were directed to recover outstanding payments from defaulting contractors and devise a legal mechanism for timely payment of workers’ salaries and arrears. The chief minister said workers would not be made to bear the contractors’ failure to meet financial obligations, as reported by the Express Tribune.
Beat system, weekly reports and rural cleaning
The chief minister ordered detailed weekly reports from every tehsil, covering human resources, machinery deployed under the beat system and field monitoring. The new system is intended to strengthen monitoring and service delivery.
She ordered rural areas to be cleaned at least on alternate days, with accumulated garbage removed without delay. The assistant commissioner and the Suthra Punjab programme in-charge in each tehsil will be held responsible for failures in cleanliness arrangements.
The meeting also reviewed waste collection and transportation, and considered a proposal for a mobile application for Suthra Punjab workers to improve monitoring and performance.
Anti-littering squads and Chakwal praise
Officials told the meeting that anti-littering squads were active in every division of Punjab and had conducted about 264,000 visits so far, issuing warnings for violations of sanitation standard operating procedures and spreading awareness about waste disposal. The chief minister reviewed cleanliness reports from various tehsils and praised the Chakwal administration for improvement in the district.
The meeting is the latest in a string of Maryam Nawaz-led provincial initiatives, from the scooty scheme for students to mobile health units for industrial workers. With smog season approaching, cleanliness drives also carry added weight for Lahore’s air quality.
What deadline did Maryam Nawaz set for the Suthra Punjab beat system?
Seven days for province-wide implementation of the beat system, with a comprehensive micro-plan for cleanliness and a province-wide progress report due next week.
What happens to underperforming sanitation companies?
Companies scoring below 80 per cent in any tehsil face warnings, while contracts of those scoring below 50 per cent will be terminated. Government-run sanitation operations will be activated within a week as an alternative.
Who is responsible for cleanliness failures in each tehsil?
The assistant commissioner and the Suthra Punjab programme in-charge in each tehsil will be held responsible for failures in cleanliness arrangements.
