Funding, revenue gaps mar sanitation schemeSuthra Punjab faces financial strainThe Suthra Punjab Authority is facing financial and operational challenges with funding shortages, poor recovery of sanitation taxes, disputes with private contractors, delayed salaries and administrative issues affecting waste collection and cleanliness. Launched by the Punjab government to extend organised waste management services from cities to villages, the Suthra Punjab programme oversees waste management companies across the province. Waste collection services in all districts except Lahore have largely been outsourced to private contractors, while the Suthra Punjab Authority is responsible for monitoring the operations. They also dispute penalties imposed over incomplete door-to-door waste collection, claiming the circumstances were beyond their control. The situation has also delayed the distribution of a Rs10,000 Eidul Azha bonus announced by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for sanitation workers.