PESHAWAR, Jan 11: The formation of a unified service cadre — Provincial Management Service — has paved the way for officers of the secretariat group of the now-defunct Provincial Civil Service (PCS) to get field postings both in settled and tribal areas adjoining the NWFP.

Earlier, only officers from the executive group were eligible for field postings under the NWFP PCS Rules, 1997. The officers, earlier inducted into the secretariat group of the PCS, were not allowed postings outside the Civil Secretariat Peshawar.

Establishment department officials told Dawn that since both the PCS groups had been merged to form the PMS, officers of the secretariat group from grade 17 to 20 could now be posted against all field positions at the district level.

The creation of PMS was essential after the introduction of devolution plan in 2001 when the district magistracy system was abolished and new posts with different nomenclatures and charter of duties were created in districts.

These posts include District Coordination Officer (BS-20), Executive District Officer (Finance and Planning-BS-20), Assistant Coordination Officer (BS-18), District Revenue Officer (BS-18), District Finance Officer (BS-18), Deputy District Officer Finance (BS-17), Deputy District Officer Revenue (BS-17), Deputy District Officer Judicial (BS-17), Human Resource Development Officer (BS-17), Secretary District Public Safety Commission (BS-17), Secretary Regional Transport Authority (BS-17) and Tehsil Municipal Officer (BS-17).

The officials explained that due to the absence of service rules for these newly-created posts, these posts could not be properly filled either through departmental promotion or initial recruitment.

They said there were more than 270 posts in BS-17 in various districts against which initial recruitment through the NWFP Public Service Commission could not be made since 2001 nor regular promotions could be made against them in the absence of rules. Similarly, 138 posts of other grades were lying vacant in various districts which require immediate filling.