RECENTLY, the Sindh irrigation department advertised posts for the recruitment of 31 assistant executive engineers in the department through Sindh Public Service Commission.

Applications only from civil engineers were invited, while agriculture engineers were ignored and denied competition against civil engineers, although agriculture engineers have equal or even more knowledge and capabilities to operate an irrigation and drainage network.

An agriculture engineer studies nine core engineering courses on irrigation, drainage, hydrology, hydraulics, construction, etc., whereas a civil engineer studies only five core courses.

Five more related courses on agriculture, crop water requirement, soil, surveying are also taught to agriculture engineers, while civil engineers learn only two related courses.

An agriculture engineer knows well how to operate the need-based irrigation network efficiently as per crop water requirement.

Despite all these facts, agriculture engineers are denied the right to compete with civil engineers for the recruitment in the irrigation department.

I urge the prime minister, chief justice, Sindh chief minister, irrigation minister, secretary of irrigation and other officials concerned to allow agriculture engineers to compete with civil engineers for the posts of executive engineers in Sindh irrigation department.

Prof (Dr) Altaf Ali Siyal
Tandojam

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2020