The Punjab government has approved a new uniformed force to collect waste management taxes across all 41 districts of the province after local government institutions failed to collect the levy effectively.
According to reports citing a proposal, the force will operate under the administrative control of the Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department and will be established on the model of the PERA force.
Its personnel will be responsible for billing households and shops, collecting outstanding waste taxes and taking enforcement action against defaulters.
Under the existing waste tax structure, households are charged between Rs300 and Rs500, while shops are charged Rs1,000.
Residents will also be able to pay the levy online or through Bank of Punjab.
Those who fail to pay the tax could face enforcement proceedings by the new force, including the issuance of challans or official notices of an alleged violation and arrests under the applicable procedure.
The force will have 305 sanctioned posts, including 300 constable positions in Grade 5.
The constables will be tasked with collecting sanitation taxes and related charges across the province, with seven to eight personnel assigned to each district.
The force will be headed by one director and four deputy directors, who will oversee the constables and their operations.
The provincial government will provide the force with 300 electric motorcycles, one 1,300cc vehicle and four Cultus cars for field operations.
An estimated Rs113 million has been allocated for the purchase of the vehicles and motorcycles, according to the proposal.
