DADU, March 18: The deputy commissioner of Dadu is on four-month leave for departmental training and posts of two additional commissioners and assistant commissioners of Dadu and Khairpur Nathan Shah are vacant.

Assistant Commissioner of Dadu Syed Amanullah Kidwai was transferred to Punjab a week ago. Posts of additional commissioners have been vacant since December 2011 when the district government system was wound up.

Deputy Commissioner Niaz Ali Abbasi has been in Karachi for 15 days for a four-month training programme at the National Institute of Public Administration.

People going to the offices of the senior officers for their work are being turned away by their staff.

Fifity-five-year-old Alam Khatoon of Khairpur Nathan Shah said that she was going to the deputy commissioner’s office for 15 days but no employee was ready to do anything in the absence of the DC.

She said that her standing crop on 30 acres had been damaged by heavy rains last year but she did not receive any seed and fertiliser. She wants to bring the matter to the notice of the deputy commissioner.

At the DC office, one Subhan said that he had gone there to get his son’s domicile but was told that the deputy commissioner was on leave and papers were being sent to him for approval and signature.

An official at the DC office who identified himself as Shah Zaman said the deputy commissioner came to Dadu on Saturdays and Sundays while the post of assistant commissioner was vacant.

The DC could not transfer the charge to someone else because the posts of ADCs and ACs were also vacant, he said.

PPP MPA Fayaz Butt said that legislators, too, were facing problems because of absence of senior administrative officers.

He said he had asked the provincial secretary of services and general administration Iqbal Durrani to post officers in Dadu and Khairpur Nathan Shah and but he was told that assistant commissioners were also undergoing training.

He said that four names had been sent to the chief minister through the secretary services for the posts of DC and hopefully a decision would be taken soon.

MNA Rafiq Ahmed Jamali said the post of assistant commissioner of Dadu would be filled next week while the DC could continue after completing his training.

MPA Imran Leghari demanded immediate posting of assistant commissioner of Khairpur Nathan Shah.

Talking to this correspondent on phone from Karachi, Deputy Commissioner Niaz Ali

Abbasi said that he visited Dadu twice a week to look after his work and he did not think that his absence had created any problem for people.

He said that he could hold his charge despite being on leave.