May 06, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1429

DADU, May 5: Five demonstrators suffered injuries on Monday when police used batons to break up protests against irregularities in interviews for lower-cadre jobs in health department.

Hundreds of candidates held a demonstration on the Indus Highway in protest against ignoring them in interviews for the posts of watchman, peon and Naib Qasid.

They urged the government to take action against EDO health Dr Rafique Ahmed Kolachi for denying them an opportunity to appear in the interviews.

Earlier, 4,000 candidates, who had applied for 21 vacant posts, arrived at the EDO’s office to appear in the interviews but most of them were not allowed to do so.

The enraged candidates reached the highway and blocked it by burning tyres on it, suspending vehicular traffic for two hours.

A heavy contingent of police arrived there and asked the protesters to clear the highawy but they refused. Police used sticks on the demonstrators, injured five of them and cleared the highway.

In Naushahro Feroze Feroze, a large number of candidates appeared for interview for different jobs in the health department. Later, they staged a rally, alleging that they were not given a chance to appear in the interview.

The interviews were going on when several candidates waiting for their turn in the park outside the office got annoyed and raised slogans against the department. They also hurled stones on the hospital office and damaged an X-ray machine.

The enraged protesters pelted vehicles with stones and blocked the road. Ghulam Sarwar Mari, Khalid Solangi, Inayat Ali Khokhar, Manzoor Abro and others complained to reporters that the health department had not made seating and drinking water arrangement.

They alleged that the department officials interviewed the candidates of their choice leaving hundreds of candidates without interview. DSP headquarters Akbar Wagan held talks with the protesters and persuaded them to disperse.

The committee had interviewed 168 candidates for the posts of Naib Qasid, 75 for the post of gardener, 20 for the post of midwife, 190 for the post of sweeper and 39 for the post watchmen.

In Sukkur, more than 2000 candidates belonging to different parts of the district, appeared for an interview for 60 lower-grade posts in the health department, according to the EDO of health.

The EDO had announced holding of interviews for 60 lower cadre posts including those of gardener, Naib Qasid, driver and sanitary workers.

In Larkana, interviews were conducted at the office of the executive district officer of the health department. EDO health Dr Abdul Fatah Bughio said that more than 1,000 candidates had appeared for only 41 vacancies and a five-member team interviewed them.

In Chandka Medical College Hospital, a team headed by the additional secretary, implementation, Dr Mazahar Memon, conducted interviews of more than 500 candidates for the post of grade 1.