Call to use modern expertise

LAHORE :Punjab Planning and Development Chairman Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan has said that government is working in a conventional manner and is not utilising modern expertise and capacities available in land and offshore.

He was chairing an inaugural session of “Major Programme Management Support Project, Stage-1” at P&D Complex, Lahore, organised by Directorate General Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning and Development Department, Punjab. 

Secretary P&DD Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Gerard Newman senior representative of Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) United Kingdom, Members P&D Board & Senior Chiefs / Chiefs of the Planning and Development Department also attended the session.

Directorate General (M&E) on behalf of Planning and Development Department had taken the initiative of the project to improve the skills of people, systems and procedures adopted in P&D and its attached departments to improve efficiency and effectiveness to make the department a modern, robust and dynamic organisation. The consultancy contract was awarded to PwC, UK.

Jahanzeb Khan said that on the other hand, changes came in a rapid manner and we needed to transform knowledge management, dissemination of information, competency based learning for synergising better policies and programme. For all this, we have to create an atmosphere where expertise comes from outside or inland and build partnerships for progress, development and the organisation government should be on driving seat and utilising the expertise from anywhere it comes. Concluding the session, P&DD secretary appreciated the constructive opinion by the participants for supporting the session and hoped to reap maximum future benefits. 

Workshop: A one-day workshop was held Monday at Wapda House on Hydrological data collection, processing and management system.  The workshop was attended by the delegates from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia and Wapda’s senior officers concerned. Addressing the workshop, Wapda Chairman Lt-Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd) thanked CSIRO delegates for their active participation and sharing views and experience with Wapda. He said that processes and techniques in data collection are considered to be crucial for implementation of development plans and construction of projects from their design to execution. Though we have the information yet efficacy of this information is very important, he said.  

Appreciating CSIRO for their support in capacity-building of Wapda engineers, the chairman asked them to have a closer look at the data available with Wapda and identify the areas where there are gaps in the collection techniques and processes. He said that Wapda will appreciate if they could also suggest ways and means to fill up those gaps for making the data more useful. 

Later, CSIRO expert made detailed deliberations about case studies of New South Wales. He said that CSIRO wanted to help Wapda to learn from their experience and tools to obtain a world-class time series hydrological data archive in Wapda.

Presentations were also made by Wapda officers about Glacier Monitoring Research Centre, Surface Water Hydrology and International Water Logging and Salinity Reclamation Institute of Wapda.