HYDERABAD, March 4: Around 122 employees of the City Taluka Municipal Administration (TMA) are in a fix following announcement by Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Local Bodies Waseem Akhtar declaring their promotions illegal.

They were promoted by the taluka nazim under executive powers, delegated in Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001. The announcement about the cancellation of their promotions was made by the local bodies' adviser at a press conference here on March 1 and called for a list for formal cancellation orders.

Taluka Municipal Officer (city) Asadullah Khan Rajput told this correspondent on Friday that he was preparing a list of those employees who had been promoted by Taluka Nazim Moinuddin Sheikh and said that they were promoted despite a ban imposed by the local bodies minister in March 2003.

He said that the list would be forwarded to the adviser. "A formal letter of cancellation of the promotions which now stood at 175 is awaited," he said and added that the TMA city had incurred loss due to the promotions.

On March 27, 2003, then Sindh local bodies minister Mohammad Hussain through a telephonic order had suspended the departmental promotion committee (DPC) and was communicated to then DCO Hyderabad Mukhtiar Ahmed Aziz for all TMAs of the district. The suspension of the DPC, as per letter's subject, was "for the time being" but continues to date.

Apart from the that no written directive was issued by the local bodies' government department directly to the TMA for suspending the DPC. All the promotions were subject to confirmation by the DPC which were given after entertaining objections of other senior workers.

CBA union office-bearers were also reported to have asked the TMA city to ensure promotion of the employees. TMA sources claimed that following bifurcation of defunct Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) into three TMAs under devolution plan the promotions became necessary on some important posts for smooth working of the TMAs as the members of the staff were posted to all the TMAs.

The adviser on the other hand termed the promotions illegal as they were allegedly given by the TMA nazim on the basis of favouritism. However, during his visit to the city on January 14, 2004, the adviser agreed to lift the ban on the DPC of the TMAs of Hyderabad during his meeting with officers of Kutchi Abadis' authorities, TMOs and other officers concerned in the presence of members of zonal committees, MNAs/MPAs and DCO of Hyderabad. Minutes were accordingly issued on January 20, 2004.

The ban was not lifted in the case of the TMA city while the TMA Latifabad held its DPC and the local bodies adviser personally distributed promotion letters among the employees at a function, organized by the TMA Latifabad.

The sources claimed that section officer-III of the local government also endorsed the viewpoint of the taluka nazim that he had powers under the provision to promote employees of BPS 16 and 17 after meeting legal requirements.

They argued that it was surprising that all the 122 employees were favourites of the taluka nazim and none of them deserved promotion on merit whereas the adviser considered promotions in the TMA Latifabad in accordance with rules.