As part of the ongoing official visit to Germany, the delegation led by Mr. Zeeshan Rafique, Minister for Local Government & Community Development (LG&CDD), Government of Punjab, visited the Heidelberg Municipality on the invitation of the City Council and later toured the Mannheim Waste-to-Energy Plant. The visit was organized with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the technical support of GIZ.
The delegation included Dr. Naeem Rauf, Chairman Planning & Development Board, Mr. Shakeel Ahmad, Secretary LG&CDD, Mr. Mahmood Masood Tamana, General Manager (Institutional Development), PMDFC, Dr. Farrukh Naveed, Secretary Energy Punjab, and Mr. Adnan Mudassar, Chief Executive Officer, Punjab Energy Board. From GIZ, the delegation was accompanied by Mr. Asim Shafi, Program Component Manager, Mr. Zubair Khan, Head of Finance and Administration, and Ms. Palwasha Kakakhel, Communication Specialist.
At Heidelberg, the delegation was warmly received by city officials and Mr. Waseem Butt, Parliamentary Leader in the Heidelberg City Parliament. The delegates were briefed on the municipality’s sanitation systems, solid waste management framework, and citizen-centered municipal service delivery mechanisms. Discussions focused on efficient operations, community engagement, and sustainable urban management practices that have helped Heidelberg maintain high standards of cleanliness and public service delivery.
Later, the delegation visited the Mannheim Waste-to-Energy Plant, where they were given an in-depth briefing on how municipal solid waste is converted into electricity and heat for the city’s heating networks. The delegates showed keen interest in understanding the plant’s operational processes, efficiency measures, and environmental safeguards, and explored opportunities to replicate similar waste-to-energy and composting technologies in Punjab.
