Move To Speed Up Selection Of Top Power Officials

The power ministry has initiated a move to expedite the filling up of key posts in various power utilities in the central sector. The ministry considers this necessary to ensure smooth functioning of the power sector.

While some of the posts have been lying vacant for months, the government is keen to take advance action in the case of posts that are likely to fall vacant shortly. This is to ensure that there is no time lag in the change of guard so that the functioning of the power utilities does not suffer.

At the top of the governments agenda is the post of the chairman of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) which will fall vacant by the end of this month with the retirement of M I Beg. The governments task of finding a successor to Beg has become a bit difficult because of the current controversy regarding the future role of CEA.

 

The government has already initiated a move to create a Central Electricity Regulatory Authority which would take over a major portion of CEAs work. This has put a question mark on the fate of about 2,500 engineers working in CEA.

The new chairman of CEA will have to do some tight-rope walk. On the one hand he will have to assuage the feelings of the agitated workers of CEA, and, on the other, keep the priorities of the government in mind.

This post has to be filled up by the power ministry and it does not require the intervention of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).

Another key post falling vacant in September is that of the chairman and managing director of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The incumbent, S R Narasimhan, is retiring on September 30.

NHPC, which has had a dozen CMDs in the past 20 years, has already circulated the post for which 12 applications have been received. Besides all the four directors in the corporation, candidates from the Power Grid Corporation, Tehri Dam Corporation and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) have also applied.

Interviews are expected to be held in July. In case the appointment is not finalised by September 30, an ad hoc arrangement will have to be made which has become a common feature with NHPC.

A number of posts of directors have been lying vacant for months in Tehri Dam Corporation, Nathpa-Jhakri Corporation and Bhakra-Vyas Management Board. Interviews for these posts were held some time ago, but the appointments have not been finalised.

The focus is on the appointment of the chairman and managing director of Power Grid Corporation. Although the name of R P Singh had been recommended by PESB and the power ministry, the vigilance clearance is learnt to have delayed the process considerably. It is learnt that the vigilance clearance has been received, but the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has yet to give its approval to Singh.