The Indian Punjab government is likely to sign a memorandum of understanding for consultancy the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) in the next 14 days following final approval from the Union government, LWMC Managing Director Waseem Ajmal told a press conference at his office on Sunday.
Ajmal said Indian Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had directed the Ludhiana commissioner on Thursday to prepare a feasibility report on replicating LWMC’s model in the Indian Punjab Waste Management Company (IPWMC). “We would be happy to help the IPWMC the way Turkish businesses helped us when we upgraded our system last year,” Ajmal said.
On Friday, a three-member LWMC delegation including Ajmal, Operations General Manager Khalid Majeed and Operations Manager Asif Iqbal returned from a five-day visit to the Indian Punjab. The team examined the solid waste management systems there and discussed opportunities for collaboration. The delegation visited Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalalabad, Jalandhar and Chandigarh. The mayors and deputy mayors of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar accompanied the delegation, as did the commissioner and deputy commissioner of Amritsar.
In a meeting with the delegation on Thursday, Badal appreciated the LWMC’s efforts to introduce and maintain its state-of-the-art waste management system.
Badal said Lahore had exemplary solid waste management services and the LWMC had brought great improvement to the city’s visage. He appreciated the use of IT based solutions to manage waste in the city. The company’s structure, induction of experienced and professional staff and the landfill site at Lakhodair, Lahore, got special mention.
Several government secretaries, commissioners, assistant commissioners and solid waste management experts from Indian Punjab were present at the meeting. The LWMC MD and Indian Punjab Local Government Principal Secretary Jagpal Singh Sandhu held a joint press conference after the meeting.
The delegation from LWMC visited the Jalandhar Bio-Methane Plant and said they would want to replicate it in Lahore and other cities in Pakistan. LWMC experts visited several areas in Ludhiana to seek citizens’ opinion of private contractors. The delegation observed methods of sweeping, collecting and transporting solid waste. They also visited the Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana and Chandigarh Research Centre for Rural and Industrial Development.
Ajmal said, “We want to strengthen ties between India and Pakistan. This visit has provided us a major breakthrough resulting in the drafting of an MoU for consultancy services.” He added that frequent visits across the border would help experts on both sides to share knowledge on environmental subjects, as well as improve waste management services in both countries.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2013.