PESHAWAR, Feb 2: The NWFP government is introducing a new unified service cadre — the NWFP Management Service — by merging the existing executive and secretariat groups of the Provincial Civil Services (PCS), official sources told Dawn.

A committee headed by the additional chief secretary of the NWFP has formulated the structure by adopting the pattern of the Punjab province, where the Recruitment Rules of 1960 have been repealed following the formulation of the Punjab Management Services, 2004.

Formulation of new provincial service was essential for filling the newly-created staff positions under the district administrative set-up following abolishment of the posts of extra assistant commissioners (EACs), deputy commissioners (DCs), district magistrates (DMs) and commissioners.

Previously the NWFP Provincial Civil Service (Executive Group) Rules 1997 had been offering filling such administrative posts both by way of initial recruitment and promotion.

These rules have become redundant and the provincial government was required to frame fresh recruitment and service rules for newly-created posts in the districts after the introduction of devolution of power plan, sources explained.

According to sources, the Standing Service Rules Committee (SSRC), being the competent forum, was currently reviewing the proposed structure of the unified service and would soon work out the repealing of the NWFP Provincial Civil Service (Executive Group) Rules 1997.

Under the proposed structure, the existing executive and secretariat groups of the PCS would be merged and renamed as the NWFP Management Service. It would have the grade-17 post of the deputy district officer (DDO-Revenue and Judicial) as entry point position.

In NWFP, the district governments’ set-up had total 176 posts of grade-17 with nomenclatures of DDO (Revenue) and (Judicial), DDO (Finance), Human Resource Development Officer (HRDO) and Secretary District Public Safety Commission.

Currently the government had the services of 46 officers from the PCS-Executive Group, out of which 41 have been adjusted against newly-created posts. Whereas, still 121 posts were laying vacant due to non-existent of the recruitment rules for the new posts, sources added.

According to the proposed structure, the officers adjusted against such posts would be governed through the Provincial Civil Services (Executive Group) Rules 1997, as the new rules would be applied only to the fresh inductees.

It is pertinent to mention here that like Punjab, the Sindh government had also framed the service rules after setting up of the district governments named as the Provincial Management Service Rules, 2005.

Meanwhile, the NWFP government has expressed reservations over the district service cadre proposed by the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) and linked the decision with devolution of powers from the centre to the province.

The provincial cabinet, in its meeting held on Jan 27, had identified a number of flaws in the proposed district services cadre in the light of a report compiled by the NWFP Establishment and Administration Department (E&AD).

A committee was formed on the occasion with Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Sardar Mohammad Idrees as its head that would review the matter keeping in view the recommendations of the E&AD, sources told Dawn.

Under section 140-A of the Local Government Ordinance 2001, the provincial governments were bound to create a district service cadre having staff positions from basic pay scale 1 to 20.