CM Punjab Launches AI Sanitation System

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday announced that political interference in administrative affairs had been eliminated, stressing that all decisions would be made strictly on merit.

“I consider political interference a sin,” she told bureaucrats while launching an AI-based sanitation monitoring system under the Suthra Punjab initiative.

The new system will digitally oversee sanitation operations across the province, including:

Officials say the move aims to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability in waste management.

The chief minister said she had resisted pressure from lawmakers and ministers regarding transfers and appointments.

“Pressure comes from MNAs, MPAs, and ministers, but I have never instructed anyone to hire or dismiss anyone,” she said, adding that merit-based governance was essential for performance.

She told officers to withstand pressure or consider leaving public service.

Maryam Nawaz warned that corruption and ghost employees would not be tolerated in the sanitation program.

Calling Suthra Punjab a “social transformation”, she said the goal was to ensure equal sanitation standards in both urban and rural areas.

“Every village should have the same standard of cleanliness as cities,” she said, citing countries like Japan and Singapore as models for maintaining high cleanliness standards.

The chief minister also criticized sanitation workers who allegedly dumped garbage during protests over unpaid salaries, saying that while protests are a right, such actions are unacceptable.