LAHORE: Water and power ministry and Pakist an Electric Power Company (Pepco) are allegedly denying many of the senior officials their right to promotion by not convening meetings of the departmental promotion board since long.

As per federal government`s policy adopted by the ministry, Pepco, Nantional Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) and Distribution Companies (Discos), the promotion board`s meeting is mandatory, to be held twice a year (April and October) in order to fill in the posts laying vacant in various cadres and scales.

Officials say that those awaiting promoting from BS-18 to BS-19 and to BS-20 (especially in administration wing) for the last three years or so include deputy managers and managers.

Similarly, they say, the ofñcials in engineering cadres were also denied promotions due in October, 2014 because there was no promotion board meeting this year.

They say that some of these ofñcers have been holding additional or current charges of senior posts since long and they are likely to face retirement in November.

`According to my information, there are over 200 senior officials including deputy managers, managers, chief engineers etc, whose promotions are due since long,` a senior ofñcial said, deploring incompetence, negligence or deliberate tactics on the part of ministry as well as Pepco authorities.

He wondered that on one hand the government was constantly boasting of having given a `boost` to the energy sector, while on the other it was demoralising the officials by denying them promotions due since long.

He said the ministry was also avoiding appointment of a regular managing director of Pepco for the reasons best know to it. `So far no of ficer appointed as MD had served the company more than a couple of months,`he added.

The official said some senior officials also moved the Lahore High Court. The court finally termed the petitioners` plea genuine, directing the Pepco management on October 20 to hold the promotion board meeting at the earliest.

On the petition (No. 2764014) filed by the NTDC senior officials, including Juniad Dilawar, Muhammad Shomail Khan, Sajid Munir Sulehri, Mehboob Ali (all managers in BS-19 in engineering wing) and Mansoor Nasir (holding current charge of the chief engineer), the LHC said in the verdict: `The petitioners` request is reasonable.

Accordingly, it is directed that the respondents will decide representation of the petitioners, if pending, strictly, in accordance with law expeditiously, preferably within a period of 15 days under intimation to the deputy registrar of the court.

He said after the verdict an NTDC official Ms Rehana Ulfat also wrote to Pepcomanagement to follow the court orders, but to no avail.

Pepco Director (career management) Mehr Zakir Hussain Kathia shifted the blame to Lesco, saying its own Board of Directors (BoD) was to give promotions to the deserving officers.

`Now the issue with Lesco has almost been resolved and soon they will provide list of their officers awaiting promotions,` he said, adding that the Pepco was planning to hold promotion board meetings in coming weeks.

Mr Kathia said the Pepco would implement the court orders in letter and spirit, denying allegations of negligence or incompetence.