LAHORE, September 29, 2026: The Punjab government has decided to equip Suthra Punjab field monitoring officers with body-worn cameras as part of efforts to strengthen digital monitoring, transparency and accountability in sanitation operations.
The decision was taken during a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, where officials presented an update on the performance of the province-wide Suthra Punjab cleanliness programme. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the meeting also resulted in the removal of managing directors of Suthra Punjab agencies in Kasur, Faisalabad and Okara over poor sanitation performance.
The body cameras are intended to provide a more transparent record of field inspections and sanitation activities and strengthen verification of work carried out by monitoring officers.
Suthra Punjab already uses several digital tools to monitor sanitation services, including GPS tracking of waste-collection vehicles, real-time dashboards, digital attendance systems, geo-tagged collection points and complaint-management applications.
Officials also reported that timely payments to Suthra Punjab workers had been completed in most tehsils. Digital enforcement against littering has also been expanded through Punjab Safe Cities cameras. In Lahore, the anti-littering squad has issued 2,156 digital challans using Safe City cameras, according to the figures presented at the meeting.
Across Punjab, 37,852 waste bins have reportedly been installed at designated locations to discourage the dumping of garbage in public spaces.
Earlier, officials had said each Field Monitoring Officer was responsible for 24 beats and required to visit at least 12 beats daily, with performance subject to third-party validation.
The government has also been expanding digital monitoring of waste-collection vehicles and field teams, including fixed collection routes and geo-tagging of waste containers in rural areas.
The latest review also focused on complaints about poor cleanliness in different areas. Following these complaints, the managing directors of Suthra Punjab agencies in Kasur, Faisalabad and Okara were removed. The government decided that officials removed for poor performance would not be given another posting, while warnings would be issued to other officials where cleanliness standards remained inadequate.
The growing use of digital monitoring is part of a wider shift towards performance-based sanitation management. Real-time data, field evidence, vehicle tracking and citizen complaints are increasingly being used to assess waste collection and cleanliness services.
Suthra Punjab describes itself as a province-wide integrated waste-management programme using digital monitoring, GPS vehicle tracking, geo-tagging and citizen complaint systems. Its official platform provides a public complaint channel and the 1139 helpline.
Stronger monitoring of sanitation operations can help improve waste collection, reduce illegal dumping and support cleaner and healthier communities across Punjab.
