HYDERABAD, April 29: The Sindh Excise and Taxation Minister Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani said on Sunday that he had recommended promotion of officers in the excise and finance departments for which the Sindh government would have to make an additional allocation of Rs120 million.

He said while addressing a news conference at the office of ETO Ghulam Ahmed Arian, the in-charge of divisional special squad in GOR Colony that the excise department had achieved its recovery target of Rs8.33 billion.

The minister said that like Punjab, Sindh province would also have ETOs in BPS-18. Around 91 officers would benefit from the promotions, who had been drawing salaries and other perks of BPS-17, he said.

Likewise, he said, 213 officers in BPS-16 and 533 in BPS-14 would be promoted to the next cadre and for which the government would have to make an additional allocation of Rs120 million. "The promotions are linked with approval from the two departments," said the minister.

He said disclosed that the excise department had ensured recovery of Rs8.33 billion for the current fiscal year's nine months and the additional recovery of revenue was in progress.

He said that excise police were being armed with sophisticated weapons help curb narcotics trade. Rs2 million had been earmarked as rewards for the officers who excelled in performance while incompetent officials would be taken to task.

He said that several officers had been removed from service over negligence and other charges. Whenever any drug peddler was arrested some influential people tried to use their influence but the department went ahead with challaning the criminals, he said.

The minister disclosed that one Lal Wahab son of Ghulam Mohammad was arrested after he was found in possession of 35 kilogram of charas in Makrani Mohallah of Kot Ghulam Mohammad in Mirpurkhas district. The charas cost Rs10 million in international market. In another case one Ali Asghar Khaskheli was held for possessing five kilogram of charas in Mirpurkhas. One Farooq, alias Faro Machi, Basharat Ali Bajwa were arrested for possessing 10 kilogram of hemp and two kilogram of charas in Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Mirpurkhas, he added.

INJURED: Nine persons suffered injuries in a head-on collision between a hi-roof and truck near Sehwan on Sunday. The injured Haroon, Danish, Farhan, Arif, Javed, Bilal, Abdul Waheed, Haneef and Shamshad were moved to Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro.