ISLAMABAD: The management of Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Thursday held a meeting with Chairman of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and his team for digitalisation of CDA and Islamabad Capital Territory’s record.

CDA Chairman and Chief Commissioner Mohammad Ali Randhawa, accompanied by the Member Technology Nauman Khalid held PITB team on the digitalization of “CDA’s, ICT records within the shortest possible timeframe.”

“The meeting focused on strategizing the digital transformation process, including assessing the current state of CDA & ICT records, identifying technological solutions, addressing potential challenges, and establishing a timeline for completion,” read a press release.

It said that it was also decided to address the human resource needs in the IT directorate to ensure the successful implementation of the digitalization project. Furthermore, the discussion also centred on exploring new avenues that can create alternate revenue streams to have additional sources of income, emphasizing the importance of diversifying revenue streams to support the digitalization efforts and overall sustainability of the CDA.

The press release said that CDA intends to setup an inhouse platform that will be geared up with Technology & IT human resources that can offer IT based solution for internal CDA functions as well as be made available to external stakeholders to utilize this platform for their technological and IT based needs.

Meanwhile, Mr Randhawa chaired another meeting to address critical operational matters. In this meeting, the press release said that “directions were issued to promptly collect auction payments within the specified due date. Failure to comply will result in the immediate cancellation of the allotment. Similarly, another directive was issued to ensure the timely deposit of lease extensions to maintain property leases; non-compliance will lead to the cancellation of certain leases,” it said.

Additionally, the department responsible for managing open spaces has been tasked with addressing issues with IESCO and pursuing long-pending payments from them.

It said that he also highlighted the need for creating new revenue streams for the CDA and instructed the board to explore alternate measures to mitigate risks and foster growth. Members are urged to take immediate and affirmative action to ensure compliance with Minister of Interior directives, to make Authority more financially stable.

Five-member committee for resource generation

Meanwhile, CDA also notified a six-member committee to formulate a strategy aimed at enhancing resource generation for the CDA, as well as to identify and rectify any deficiencies in the allocation and utilization of existing resources.

This committee is headed by Finance Advisor/member Finance, Member Technology and Digitalization, Director Generals Admin and Resources and deputy director general (Resources). It will devise a plan for generating sustainable resources for the CDA including but not limited to fundraising, partnership etc. It will also identify and address any underutilized or dormant resources within the CDA and develop strategies to bring them into active use. Besides others task, it will analyze and rectify any leakages or inefficiencies in the utilization of available resources within the CDA. It is also supposed to conduct a thorough assessment of the current resources available to the CDA, including financial, human and material resources. It will identifying potential opportunities for resource generation, such as fundraising events, donor partnership and grant opportunities.”

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2024