Lahore: Lahore, recently declared by the New York Times as “one of the 52 dream destinations of the world” and among the highly-recommended tourist spots, is currently in a shambles as the Waste Management Company responsible to collect the city’s garbage has failed to remove it from the city’s roads and streets.
The erstwhile jewel in Pakistan’s crown, Lahore is now in poor shape and its footpaths and streets are covered with waste of every kind, cans, plastic bags; its roads are overflowed with water from gutters and its drains are choked.
Provincial Minister for Industries & Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal in a recent statement had claimed the provincial government would achieve zero waste target by January 15 as the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) had removed 85 per cent garbage from the provincial capital.
Addressing a press conference the minister said Punjab’s Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had on Jan 2, 2021 assigned him the task to oversee the cleanliness drive. At that time 25,000 tons of garbage was lying on the roads and another 5,000 tons of filth was adding up every day.
“By Thursday, Jan 14, the company had removed 23,800 tons of waste and just 1,200 ton garbage was left which will be removed in a day or two,” the minister had claimed.
Replying to questions regarding poor state of municipal affairs in Lahore, he said a forensic audit report has been originated which would be tabled before the public accounts committee and the matter was also under deliberation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Delighted and inspired
The New York Time (NYT) has recently included Lahore in its list of “52 places to love in 2021.” According to the daily, Lahore is among the spots that had delighted, inspired and comforted its readers in a “dark year.”
The NYT has compiled the list after evaluating more than 2,000 suggestions, received from the readers who were asked about the places they loved to visit.
This is not the first time that the world acknowledges Pakistan’s tourism potential. The country has already been recommended to the tourists as a must-visit place by the global magazines such as Forbes and Condé Nast Traveler due to its breathtaking tourist destinations scattered across the country.
“Especially in winter, this city nourishes you. It opens its arms to you, then feeds you and wraps you in a hug,” remarked Haneen Iqbal, one of the American daily’s readers, about the walled city.
The list includes other cities like Siwa Oasis of Egypt, The Llanos of Colombia, Kaliya Dhrow of India, Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Isfahan (Iran) and others.
