KARACHI, Aug 30: It is either unemployment or attraction of possible extra income that the excise and taxation department has received over 50,000 applications for 250 vacancies, sources in the department revealed.

The large number of job aspirants has forced the department to use venues, like the National Stadium and KMC Sports Complex to organise written tests, which will be held on Aug 31.

Apart from Karachi, exam centers have also been established in main cities of the interior, like Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Nawabshah etc.

Sources, however, said no letters have been issued to candidates for appearing in the test and anybody could take the test to be held on Sunday.

After all these efforts by the excise and taxation department to examine such a huge number of candidates, appointment of successful candidates would not be made as the chief minister has directed all government departments to only complete the process of recruitment and do not make any appointment until the ban on recruitment is lifted.

However, letters for written tests have not been issued.

Sources maintained that to achieve an element of transparency, the department should have engaged reputed institutes, like IBA.

The minimum qualification for an excise inspector is graduation while the excise constable should be a matriculate.

The other vacancies are for clerks, stenographers, key-punch operators and data-processors.

The department sources said tests were conducted thrice in the past during the tenure of previous governments, but no appointments were made due to the tussle on quota between coalition partners in the Sindh government.

Sources said that the department did not have the resources to conduct test and interviews for 50,000 candidates and it has asked the finance to provide funds for the purpose.