SHC puts brakes on SIDA's GM appointments

Around 20 SIDA employees challenge market-based hiring, citing denied promotions, flaws

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh High Court has stopped the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) from finalising appointments to three key general manager positions, granting a stay in a legal challenge brought by around 20 of the authority's employees against the proposed market-based hiring.

"The subject appointments should not be finalised without permission of this court," the court ordered in constitutional petitions D-253 and D-3691 filed by SIDA employees led by Syed Muhammad Ali Shah through advocate Muhammad Saulat Rizvi.

The stay covers the posts of GM Transition, GM Operations and GM Research and Development (R&D), which have become the latest flashpoint in a long-running dispute between SIDA's existing employees and external candidates for senior positions.

The petitioners contend that hiring candidates from outside the authority has effectively blocked their prospects for promotion. They also challenged the legality of the latest advertisements, arguing that although SIDA's board reverted the three posts from BPS-20 to BPS-19 earlier this month, the change had not been gazette-notified.

The same positions had previously been filled through market-based recruitment in 2024 despite opposition and a legal challenge by the same employees.

Sadiq Khaskheli was appointed GM Transition on a one-year contract, while Sajjad Soomro and Asghar Mahesar were appointed GM Operations and GM R&D respectively. The contracts of all three were subsequently extended for another year.

A SIDA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the authority had initially wanted at least two of the GMs to continue but was forced to advertise the posts after their grades were reverted.

The official said Khaskheli and Mahesar appeared likely to be considered for reappointment, while Soomro could potentially be replaced.

The High Court has issued notices to SIDA and the provincial government and fixed September 30 for further proceedings.

Established in 1997 as an autonomous organisation, SIDA was given a statutory framework through an ordinance in 2002. The authority was placed in charge of managing four of Sindh's 14 irrigation canals originating from the Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages.

Under a model conceived with World Bank assistance, SIDA was intended to gradually assume responsibility for additional canals while devolving functions to local stakeholders to promote transparency and institutional development. That broader objective, however, remains incomplete.