PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Minister for Local Government, Meena Khan Afridi, announced that special arrangements and comprehensive plans have been finalised across 132 Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs), Village Councils, and related departments to ensure cleanliness and the timely disposal of waste during Eid-ul-Azha.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Peshawar, the minister stated that the provincial government expects to lift between 45,000 and 50,000 tons of waste across the province during the three days of Eid. To achieve this target, a massive workforce of 17,782 sanitation workers, along with more than 6,000 Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) personnel, will be on duty, following the cancellation of leaves for staff at WSSP and other related institutions. The cleaning operation will be supported by 5,698 vehicles, including dumpers and other heavy machinery.
Minister Afridi highlighted that an awareness campaign on cleanliness was launched ahead of the festival to guide the public. Furthermore, over 48,000 sanitation bags have already been distributed among citizens. The operational scope of WSSP has also been expanded to cover 187 union councils outside the standard TMAs. To streamline operations, Regional Municipal Officers (RMOs) will serve as focal persons at the divisional level, while the Secretary of Local Government will directly supervise the overall campaign.
The minister urged citizens to cooperate fully with the sanitation staff to ensure a clean environment. He noted that residents can register complaints regarding cleanliness or other operational issues through the dedicated WSSP hotline 1334 or via the “e-Municipality” mobile application. Addressing internal administrative concerns, Afridi assured that the ongoing issues related to the salaries of TMA employees will be resolved very soon.
Responding to political queries at the end of the briefing, the Local Government Minister clarified that Aleema Khan and Mohsin Naqvi did not hold a meeting. He added, however, that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Mohsin Naqvi did meet, but their discussions were strictly focused on the law and order situation.
