Formulation of ADP 2012-13: P&D Department facing shortage of technical staff

Despite heavy workload due to the ongoing exercise in formulating Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2012-13, many technical sections of Planning and Development (P&D) Department are facing shortage of technical staff. The crunch is being felt as more than 15 officers have been transferred to other departments on deputation, informed sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
They said that more than 15 technical officers of P&D have been posted in other departments, several of them on direct transfers, others on deputation. They include: Razia Shaikh, working as Assistant Chief in District Matiari, Liaqat Ali Qureshi, working as Assistant Chief in District Matiari, Abdulnabi Thaheem, working as Commissioner sales tax in Sindh Revenue Board, Naved Saleh Memon, working as Assistant Chief in District Matiari, Ghulam Mohammad Shaikh, working as Assistant Chief in District Khairpur Ayaz Memon, working as Chief in Chief Minister House/ Secretariat, Iqbal Lakho, working as Deputy Commissioner Sindh Revenue Board, Saleem Lakhmir, working as Chief in MEC, Ghulam Qadir Shaikh, working as Assistant Chief DERA, Irfan Ansari, Assistant Chief but on long leave, Malik Akbar, working as Planning Officer in BBYSDP, Javaid Memon working as Planning Officer in WSIP, Farman Chandio, working as Planning Officer Community Development Project, Ammar Yasir Shah, working as Planning Officer in District Matiari and Aisha Mastoi, working as Planning Officer in District Tando Allahyar.
They said that most of above-mentioned officers of P&D Department were transferred more than three years back resultantly most of the technical sections are facing acute problems due to under strength. They said that almost all technical sections are engaged in exercise of formulating the ADP 2012-13. The first edition of proposals of schemes of ADP 2012-13 has been printed out by the Finance Department, they added.
While, meetings of Interdepartmental Technical Committee has also been started from April 02, 2012. The technical teams of every section of P&D are conducting these meetings and they are discussing the proposals with concerned officials of departments, they said.
Keeping in view such workload situation, the Industries section has written a letter to Additional Chief Secretary (P&D), Malik Israr a few days back in which it was stated that: this section is presently lacking of staff specially officers as one Assistant Chief Nawab Pirzado has been retired on February 06, 2012 and many of others are enjoying very lucrative positions in other departments, they said.
At present, when ADP 2012-13 is being prepared the pressure of technical sections in performing the job without staff/officers is high. This will create more hardships if the transfers and deputations of officers would not be cancelled, they concluded.