32nd IEEEP NESC 2017 Change with out-of-box approach only: Dale Sinkler

on 01/03/2017

Lack of coordination among developmental organizations is a major handicap, points out Arif Hassan

Chief Operating Officer (Generation and Transmission), K-Electric, Dale Sinkler has said it was high time for upcoming engineers to come out with innovative ideas to transform Karachi into a smart city. Speaking as the Chief Guest in the inaugural session of The 32nd IEEEP National Engineering Students Competition (NESC) 2017 in Sir Syed University he said ,
the engineers needed to step out of the box and to look outside to bring the desired change.

“There would be no change if you are reluctant to look forward to bring the change. This is your city. You have to plant the first seed to make fruit to come.”

He urged them to do different things to get different results in relation to “Hack Town” concept. The event was organized by the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEEP) in collaboration with Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET). The NESC’17 was in continuation with regard of the series of IEEEP All Pakistan Students’ Seminar that is held each year. The competition included Final Year Engineering Projects and Hack Town – the theme for smart city.

Dale Sinkler called upon the upcoming engineers to utilize their engineering talents to make Karachi “Smart City” through their innovative projects. Earlier Vice-Chancellor SSUET, Prof. Dr. Jawaid H. Rizvi, welcomed the chief guest and the keynote speaker, organizers and participants and described the event a high profile thematic subject concerning every one. He hoped that the competitors would utilize their mettle to come up with innovative ideas to achieve the desired results. Eminent architect engineer, Arif Hasan, shared his views and concerns about “Hack Town” concept and said that the results will remain unachieved unless the planning broadly consists of a number of closely inter-connected subjects like demography, social and physical infrastructure and management, economy, environment, ecology and now environment of the citizens. Arif Hasan pointed out that the major handicap is the lack of coordination among the organizations that develop and manage the ingredients of urban planning and they are totally unaware of each other’s activity. In this regard he cited the example of university road.Karachi Development Plan 2000 was made to link the Karachi Master Plan Department with KMC, KESC, Karachi Gas but it failed because of not using modern technology, initiating training programmes for the staff members and scarcity of trained/skilled staff. The session ended with a vote of thanks by Registrar SSUET, Syed Sarfraz Ali. Chairperson IEEE Karachi Chapter Asif Siddiqui and Convenor Mona Kanwal also spoke on the occasion.

Approval from CCI obligatory for Regulatory bodies notification

on 01/03/2017

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended a notification by the federal government transferring administrative control of five regulatory bodies to their respective line ministries. LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that the prime minister should have sought approval from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) before issuing the notification. The government had issued the notification on Dec 19, placing the control of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) under their respective ministries. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf secretary general Jahangir Tareen and a citizen, All Irfan, had filed identical petitions in this regard. Advocate Sheraz Zaka, the lead counsel for the petitioners, argued that under the law it was mandatory for the government to seek an approval from the CCI before transferring the control of autonomous regulatory authorities to their respective ministries. He said that in many judgements the Supreme Court had declared approval from the CCI a mandatory provision for this purpose. Advocate Zaka pointed out that on the one hand the government was involved in the production and transmission of electricity, and on the other, it wanted to assume the role of a regulator. Similarly, he said, placing the PTA and the FAB under the control of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, the PPRA under the Ministry of Finance and Ogra under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, was a case involving conflict of interest. The lawyer requested the court to set aside the notification. A deputy attorney general argued that approval of the CCI was not necessary as the cabinet had approved the measure. In his remarks, Chief Justice Shah said that the rule of law was indispensable as the prime minister should have sought approval of the CCI before issuing the notification. He suspended the notification and asked the attorney general for Pakistan to appear at the next hearing.

Rs12bn approved for housing schemes under next year`s PSDP

on 01/03/2017

The National Assembly`s Standing Committee on Housing and Works has approved Rs12.34 billion for 149 housing schemes to be completed under the Public Sector Development Programme 2017-18. The Ministry of Housing and Works proposed 179 projects at a cost of Rs17.2bn for the next fiscal year, but the committee headed by Haji Muhammad Akram Ansari directed exclusion of 46 projects amounting to Rs 4.8bn. The Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak-PWD) will execute the proposed schemes. The committee was of the view that 46 excluded project were unnecessary and should be taken up after necessary need assessment and completion of the ongoing projects. The committee observed that delay in execution of work on the schemes resulted in PC- I revision, cost escalation and over-burdening the national exchequer.It directed the finance and planning ministries to ensure timely release of funds for the projects to avoid wastage of public money.

IEEE Int’l Conference on ICIEECT from April 5 – 7

on 01/03/2017

The IEEE International Conference on Innovations in Electrical Engineering and Computational Technologies (ICIEECT) will be held 5th to 7th April 2017 by Indus University. The IEEE Karachi Section will provide technical sponsorship to the conference where as the Higher Education Commission Islamabad is providing the patronage to the event. A IEEE communication said the national and international researchers sent 107 manuscripts of which 63 have been accepted after a through peer review process by TPC through easychair. The Conference will be inaugurated by Chairman Pakistan Engineering Council and in the closing session Chairman PTA will be the chief guest. As many as 13 International keynote speakers have confirmed their participation for plenary talks and 26 National Speakers’ Technical Talks have been scheduled throughout from Pakistan whereas the maximum participation of Vice Chancellors, deans and directors, leaders Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, FPCCI, civil bureaucracy, the HEC, PEC, NCEAC and NTC, K-Electric, electrical engineering companies, leading businessmen, electrical contractors and officials are also expected to participate the moot. The Chairman Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, the President and ECO Science Foundation have consented to be the guests of honor. The conference proceedings will be published on IEEEXplore and selected papers will appear in leading electrical engineering Journals. The organizers have invited sponsorships from relevant organizations. They include air tickets and accommodation of foreign speakers, lunch, dinner, Hi-Tea, publications and stationary, air tickets of national Speakers, prizes for the best papers, prizes for the best PhD proposal, prizes for the best technology posters, shields and certificates for authors and speakers and also for fashion show and Gala Dinner. In return, the conference management will provide the companies with free stalls, access to promotional material to all participants, display of standees, exhibitors space in Conference area, display of panaflex, company name and logo on bags and stationary material.

Pakistan may overcome load shedding by 2018ADB expresses satisfaction with govt power policy

on 01/03/2017

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed its hope that Pakistan would be able to overcome load shedding by 2018—A claim made by the government and yet many people are not sure about it. The bank, however, seems satisfied about government’s power policy. ADB Country Head Werner E Liepach who talked to a group of journalists said he was hopeful that Pakistan could end load shedding by 2018 provided the government continued its effort to achieve the goal. Werner E Liepach’s remarks have bolstered the image of the government as regards its promises to eliminate load-shedding. The ADB official sees things were moving in the right direction saying the capacity has increased and thus conditions have improved over the past few years. The bank, however, supported independent regulatory regime unlike the government which has put regulatory bodies under its control. He said the NEPRA was still independent in its decisions and an effective, efficient and independent regulatory regime helped the end consumer. The ADB has approved US$3 billion for the energy sector. The bank is providing $400 million for smart metering, which would improve efficiency of the companies. On privatisation of the DisCos, he said the ADB had asked for privatisation as it would increase efficiency, help reduce the circular debt and bring investment.