Better HR

The recent efforts of the current chairman of the Pakistan Engineering Council regarding the proposed appointment of engineers at top technical positions at the government level are laudable to say the least. It is an undeniable and rather grim fact that all major infrastructure projects in Pakistan either hit technical snags or are delayed inordinately because the relevant personnel at the helm don't have even an iota of technical knowledge, qualification, experience and expertise to take and own major technical decisions regarding project issues related to release of funds, change in planning, design amendment, unexpected site situation etc. A number of gigantic projects are a grisly reminder of this fact be it Nandipur, New Islamabad Airport, K-IV water supply scheme and most importantly Peshawar Metro.

My appeal to this government is that the top management of all main public-sector technical organisations pertaining to energy, power distribution, information technology, science & technology, infrastructure development etc should be professional and competent engineers with a sound reputation in the market so that they can utilize their potential and talent to the full towards ensuring a better Pakistan.

Engineer Umar M Makhdumi

Karachi