LARKANA, Jan 16: Scores of appeals pertaining to land dispute cases are pending as the post of Larkana EDO (revenue) has been lying vacant since September 2007, it has been learnt.

The seat fell vacant after EDO (revenue) Ghulam Mustafa Phull was made the district coordination officer on Sept 6, 2007.

This seat also remained vacant between Dec 15, 2002 and Aug 3, 2003 and in the year 2005 Deedar Hussain Baloch had held the post as an additional charge.

The office of the EDO (revenue) has been entrusted with the powers to decide appeals regarding land disputes in the district along with dealing land grant cases, land commission cases, relief work and inspection of crops.

Issuance of Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC), form-C (for education) and form-D (for services) also comes under the purview of the office of the EDO (revenue).

But due to the absence of an EDO (revenue) in the district, students and job-seekers are facing immense difficulties.

Sensing the gravity of the issue the Sindh government had given an additional charge of Larkana EDO (revenue) to Qambar-Shahdadkot Qamar EDO (revenue) Raza Baloch. But he did not take the additional charge, sources said.

Former DCO Abdul Aziz Uqaili feeling the degree of the inconvenience to the students and job-seekers sought special powers from the Sindh government to issue PRC (both form-C and form-D) and even today the powers are with the DCO.

The present DCO, Mohammed Jaffer Abbasi, on Dec 27 requested Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah for an early posting of the EDO (revenue) and other officers in the district. However, no action has so far been taken in this regard.

Not only this but in the same group of offices the post of district officer (revenue) is also lying vacant and the deputy district officer (revenue) has been allowed to take the additional charge in Own Pay Scale against a decision of the Sindh cabinet. Recently some officers working under the EDO (revenue) were given magisterial powers but in the absence of a leadership they are unable to perform their duties effectively.

The posts of Mukhtiarkar (estate) Larkana and Muhktiarkar (estate) Headquarter Larkana are also lying vacant in the revenue department.

Apart from the post of EDO (revenue) Larkana 15 other posts had been lying vacant since long in different departments, sources in the district government said.

The vacant posts are that of EDO (Community Development Department), deputy district officer, labour (Female), labour officer, matron of Darul Amaan, district officer (academic and training), deputy district officer, secondary and higher secondary, female, deputy district officer, elementary, deputy district officer (academic and training), administrative officer (education department).

In the health department, posts of deputy district officer (administration) and deputy district officer (preventive) are lying vacant.