MIANWALI, June 21: Thousands of rupees have been pocketed in the recruitment of 41 class four employees, including gardener and baildar, on regular basis in the Irrigation Department.

This was alleged by irrigation employee Alam Khan in his application sent to the Anti-Corruption Establishment director and several other high-ups. The complainant alleged that Khushab division XEN had received Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 in bribe from each successful candidate.

He further revealed that a baildar, having his domicile and NIC of Lahore, was also given a job because he was the relative of the XEN. When contacted, an Irrigation department officer on the condition of anonymity, gave out that the appointments were made mostly on the recommendation of the MPAs and the District Nazim.

He claimed that all the applications were endorsed with the recommendation remarks. About the recruitment of the person belonging to Lahore, the officer said that he was given the job on the recommendation of XEN, who was himself a selection committee chairman.

The other two members of the selection committee were the Kalabagh XEN and the Dulleywala branch SDO. The officer, however, said that all the procedure, including the advertisement in the national dailies and preparation of merit lists, were followed.

Meanwhile, XEN denied the allegation of bribery levelled against him. Dialysis machine: The dialysis machine has been inoperative at the local DHQ Hospital for the last six years due to the absence of any trained urologist.

The Quaid-i-Azam Medical College Hospital, Bahawalpur, Professor Dr Muhammad Ashraf Khan Niazi, has offered his services to train all DHQ Hospital's surgeons to provide relief to the poor kidney patients.

Inaugurating a private surgical hospital here on Monday, Dr Niazi said that he belonged to this area and wanted to serve the humanity particularly the deprived class. Speaking on the occasion, district Press Club chairman Rana Amjad Iqbal said that government hospitals were in a miserable state.

He said that operation theatres were devoid of all basic facilities, and there was an urgent need to equip the hospitals with modern machinery and trained doctors and the paramedical staff.

It may be mentioned that the dialysis machine had been purchased at a cost of Rs1 million with the frantic efforts of the late MPA Haji Ikramullah Khan Paikhel. The MPA also got sanctioned the post of a urologist, but the seat is still lying vacant.

Some three years ago, this post was transferred to Vehari, but it was restored on the persistent pressure of the local politicians. Two surgeons - Dr Hasnain and Dr Zafar Iqbal - were trained to operate the dialysis machine, but they had to surrendered it after the death of two patients.