KARACHI, Oct 26: The Sindh home department has received about 50,000 applications against some 450 vacancies. These applications were invited a couple of weeks back through advertisements in newspapers and are now being processed, after which the applicants will be informed through newspaper notices to appear for written tests.

Those getting through the tests will be short-listed for interviews. The tests and interviews, according to informed sources, would be conducted in every district for the convenience of the applicants.

Initially, the government had planned to conduct centralised tests in Karachi for preparing a short list before asking them to appear for interviews. But this plan could not be implemented as the department had no provision of funds to make arrangements for the tests.

This rush of applications for low-grade posts manifests the pressure of unemployment among youths as many of the applicants are post-graduates applying for the posts of clerks. In view of the meltdown of the economy, many educated daily wagers and ad-hoc employees are likely to add to the army of the unemployed.

Analysts say that although the government has pledged to provide jobs to 50,000 youths in the next few months, factories and mills have reportedly started pruning their workforce following prolonged power outages and the massive increase in power tariff.

According to people involved in processing the applications, the home department had advertised 447 vacancies in grades from BPS-2 to 15 for its different wings.

The applications received against the total vacancies in each wing are as follows:

Number crunching

In police safety and complaint commission wing, for 80 posts, 17,494 applications were received. The largest number of applications was received against nine vacancies of assistants (BPS-14) which are 5,030, followed by 6,700 for 22 junior clerk posts. For 21 posts of naib qasids, 4,563 men have applied, while for 11 posts of chowkidars the aspirants are 213. Likewise, 386 have applied for the six posts of drivers, and for nine stenographer posts, 559 applicants are in the queue.

In the prison wing, where the total notified vacancies are 265, over 24,000 have applied.

The highest number of applications received is against 15 posts of assistant superintendent of jail (BPS-14) that are 8,400. For the 20 posts of junior clerks (BPS-7), 4,753 have applied. For 111 posts of OG warder, 6,113 applications were received; for 40 posts of computer operators (BPS-12) 2,300 applications; for one vacancy of assistant (BP-14), 748 applications, for one wireless operator/head ward, 329 applications; for five stenographer posts, 371 applicants; for three religious teacher posts, 406 applications; for 24 sweeper posts, 117 applicants; for one head warder post, 154 applicants; for one dispenser (male) post, 125 applications; for two computer operator posts, 124 applications; for one woman dispenser, five applications; for one English teacher post, 204 applications; for four maintenance master posts, 135 applications; for three lady assistant superintendent posts, 150 applications; for one woman religious teacher post, 17 applications; for one potter demonstrator posts, 24; for four sharving master vacancies, 10 applications; for one electrician post, 50 applications; for 22 matron posts, 36 applications, and for one nurse (midwife) post, eight candidates have applied.

In the civil defence wing, for 58 posts, there are 3,816 applications; for two assistants’ posts there are 1,415 applications; for nine junior clerk posts, 1,244 applications; for 15 naib qasid posts, 768 applications; for one computer operator post, 122 applications; for five instructor posts, 66 applications; for 10 computer operator posts, 56 applications; for one electrician post, 55 applications; for two driver posts, 49 applications; for one despatch rider post, 18 applications; for one siren operator post, one application; for eight chowkidar posts, 10 applicants; for three sweeper posts, 12 applications.

In the R&P/Remand Home wing, for 37 vacancies over 3,400 applications have been received.

For one assistant post, there are 928 applications; for one computer operator post, 102 applications; for 15 junior clerk posts, over 1,700 applications; for two posts of drivers, 26 applications; for 14 naib qasid posts, 600 applications; and for four chowkidar posts, there are 30 applications.

In the home department itself, against seven vacancies there are over 2,700 applications. For five driver posts, there are 142 applications, and for two posts of despatch riders there are 123 applications.