Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to launch the Suthra Kashmir programme under its 100-day reform agenda.
The initiative will introduce a new waste management system across AJK. The model is inspired by Punjab’s Suthra Punjab initiative.
Under the programme, solid waste management services will be outsourced to private companies.
Government departments will mainly perform regulatory and supervisory responsibilities under the new system.
The decision was discussed during a meeting chaired by Local Government and Rural Development Secretary Irshad Ahmed Qureshi.
Officials reviewed key measures needed to implement the programme across the territory.
Waste Management to Be Outsourced at District Level
According to officials, waste management services will be outsourced separately at the district level.
Advertisements inviting private waste management companies will be published in newspapers within one week.
Selected companies will provide the machinery, vehicles and workforce needed for sanitation operations.
The government also plans to introduce uniform sanitation standards across AJK. These standards will include common designs for machinery and uniforms for sanitation workers.
A comprehensive system will cover waste collection, transportation and proper disposal.
Suthra Kashmir to Include Rural Areas
The Suthra Kashmir programme will not be limited to major urban centres.
Officials said rural communities will also become part of the new waste collection network. At village level, authorities will work with elected local government representatives.
Youth councillors and women councillors will also help facilitate door-to-door waste collection.
The government plans to involve local representatives in cleanliness campaigns to increase community participation.
Municipal mayors and other representatives welcomed the initiative. They expressed willingness to cooperate with private waste management operators.
District council representatives also supported the inclusion of villages.
They noted that solid waste has become a growing challenge in both urban and rural communities.
Wider Reforms Under 100-Day Agenda
The Suthra Kashmir initiative forms part of the government’s broader 100-day reform programme.
Other proposed measures include creating green areas and purchasing new waste management vehicles. The government also plans to develop model villages and launch beautification projects in urban areas.
Officials were briefed about the existing waste management situation and its environmental impact.
They also reviewed Punjab’s waste management model and private-sector systems used elsewhere in South Asia. Director General Local Government and Rural Development Tahir Ashraf attended the meeting.
Local Government Board Secretary Ashfaq Ahmed Noor and other officials were also present.
Deputy Director Babar Minhas presented an overview of existing waste management conditions in AJK.
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The programme aims to create a wider and more organised sanitation system through private-sector participation and government oversight.
