RAWALPINDI, Aug 26: As many as 11 officers from two different occupational groups of the central superior services are being inducted on deputation in the Directorate of Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&Cs), Dawn has learnt.

A notification to this effect has been issued by the Ministry of Defence. Six of these officers are from the Audit and Accounts Group, while the remaining five belong to the Income Tax Group, the notification says.

Since these officers belong to other occupational groups, first they will be imparted one-month training after which they will be placed in the field. This temporary arrangement will, however, be of no use unless restriction on new inductions and promotions in the MLC Group is lifted, an official of the Ministry of Defence told this reporter.

The group has become totally dormant as no induction has been made in it for the last two and a half years leaving its officers demoralised and frustrated due to the direction less policies of the incumbent director-general Maj Gen Mohammad Javed.

It is pertinent to mention that at present there are about 25 key posts lying vacant in this group. These include five posts of grade 20, 8 posts of grade 19 and 12 posts of BPS-18. There is only one grade 21 slot in this group which has also been occupied by Major Gen Mohammad Javed.

There are 44 cantonments in the country housing a population of about 40 million people whose look after and provision of municipal services is the responsibility of this group, an MLC officer said. Apart from this, they also have to deal with the military personel which is a very tough job, an officer of the Ministry of Defence said.

It is to mention here that the MLC group, like all other occupational groups, fell prey to the restructuring policies of the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB). While all other groups have been revived with induction of new officers, the MLC Group still awaits revival.