30 Bureaucrats Apply For Cerc Chairmans Post

Nearly 30 bureaucrats including member secretary Planning Commission Ajit Kumar, power secretary A K Basu and former banking secretary Devi Dayal figure in the list of 45 applicants for the post of chairman of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Sources said that the list includes several IAS officers at present working in various capacities with state governments. Among others are the heads of two State Electricity Regulatory Commissions vying for the post lying vacant since the retirement of S L Rao in February this year. There are also some candidates who are at present working with state-owned power utilities.

The high profile list demonstrates the interest level that the vacancy has generated as it also includes some academicians and five executives working with state-owned insurance companies.

The selection committee now headed by N K Singh, member Planning Commission has held its first meeting on Friday, which sources said was a preliminary exercise. The next meeting is slated to be held in Hyderabad though no date has been fixed so far.

Singh has taken over as the head of the committee after Montek Singh Ahluwalia joined as independent auditor of the International Monetary Fund. Among the two candidates shortlisted during Ahluwalia's term BSES chairman and managing director R V Shahi had turned down the offer.

The selection panel will shortlist two candidates from the list of 45-odd applications before it and forward it to the government for appointment.