Protest demonstration: Irrigation dept employees demand sacking of top official

The protesters alleged that the official had sacked four of their colleagues to hide his own corruption.

SUKKUR: A large number of employees of the irrigation department staged a sit-in protest outside the office of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) in Ghotki against the sacking of four of their colleagues, on Wednesday.

The protesters have threatened to stage a sit-in outside the commissioner’s office in Sukkur if the termination orders were not withdrawn by Monday. The enraged employees, under the aegis of the All Sindh Irrigation Trade Union Federation, led by its president, Abdul Raheem Bharo, gathered at GT Road and shouted slogans against the Mirpur Mathelo irrigation department’s executive engineer, who they alleged had sacked the employees in a bid to conceal his own corruption.



The employees were demanding the immediate removal of the official, Abdul Latif Kalwar, who, according to them, was involved in large scale corruption. They claimed that the officer had been transferred by the Sindh irrigation secretary but was not leaving the charge. The Sida director met the protesters and assured them that the matter will be resolved amicably, following which the sit-in was called off.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Bahro claimed that the officer in question was involved in corruption. He alleged that the officer had usurped funds worth Rs50 million, which were allocated for the strengthening and upkeep of the protective embankments. Bahro said that, during his recent visit to Guddu Barrage, he had apprised the irrigation secretary about Kalwar’s corruption who had issued his transfer orders on September 2. The officer, however had refused to leave the charge, he complained.

Bahro claimed that the officer had started victimising the union office bearers and had terminated the services of four Daroghas. When contacted, Sida’s Ghotki director Anwar Sial said that he had not received any such orders.

Talking about the corruption charges against Kalwar, he said that the Sindh irrigation secretary had directed him to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2013.