The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has uncovered a major corruption scandal worth around Rs 1 billion in the flagship “Suthra Punjab” cleanliness programme in Faisalabad.
According to the FIR, officials of the Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC) and a private contractor allegedly manipulated digital records to divert public funds. The fraud occurred within the framework of an AI-based sanitation monitoring system that the Punjab government had introduced to enhance cleanliness throughout the province.
The contractor, M/s Care Consortium, is accused of making fake attendance entries, inflating the number of waste containers, and claiming excess payments. Officials from FWMC, including the former CEO Muhammad Rauf, Manager Operations Abdullah Nazeer Bajwa, Manager IT Asad Elahi, and others, allegedly worked with the contractor to cause heavy losses to the national exchequer.
So far, at least seven officials and the contractor have been arrested and shifted to Lahore for further investigation. The case was registered after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif received complaints about irregularities in the project.
The “Suthra Punjab” programme was introduced to modernise waste management using digital tracking and artificial intelligence. This scandal has raised serious questions about the implementation and monitoring of high-profile government projects.
The Punjab government has promised strict action against all those involved. Investigations are ongoing, and more arrests may be made soon. This case highlights the need for stronger transparency and accountability in public development projects.
