ISLAMABAD: A petitioner has challenged the recent appointments to the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Project (BTTP) before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Justice Lubna Saleem Pervaiz, after a preliminary hearing of the petition filed by Amir Sattar, issued a notice to the climate change secretary and adjourned the hearing to June 2.

The petitioner had applied for the post of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) analyst after reading an advertisement in the newspaper. He said that the BTTP had 33 openings for analysts.

He said that he was not hired on the post even after clearing his interview and test. Eighteen people with no experience or expertise had been hired.

The authorities gave preference to diploma holders over degree holders, the petitioner said.

The BTTP, which was suspended due to coronavirus, was restored last month with the approval of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A total of 65,000 workers, who were associated with the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami project, will resume their services on an emergency basis. Besides, several posts have been published in newspapers inviting applications from aspirants to join the environment-friendly project.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2020