Powercom director relinquishes charge; crises in power sector deepens; possibility of power crisis in coming summers-PSEBA
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
PSEB Engineers’ Association has cautioned the Punjab Government regarding the prevailing ad-hoc and non-serious attitude towards the power sector of Punjab. The govt. is not able to fill very important posts of CMD/Directors in PSPCL/ PSTCL. The attitude is so non serious that other important posts relating to the power sector like Member PSERC and Chief Electrical Inspector (CEI) are also vacant and there is no engineer in PSERC.
Association further criticised the adhoc appointments/ extensions being given on the important and critical posts of CMD PSPCL, Directors in PSPCL/ PSTCL.
The height of this adhocism in Power Dept GoP was witnessed yesterday, when the post of Director Technical has been left vacant without any new appointment even though the selection process has remained pending for the last 3 months. Yogesh Tandon, who was Director Technical, PSTCL has relinquished the charge.
Er. Dhiman stated that PSTCL looks after purely technical works related to transmission systems and has very stringent targets to enhance the transmission capacity of the state, and is now without any decision making director for technical matters.
Er Jasvir Singh Dhiman informed that association has written a letter way back in Oct 2022, warning the government that term of current management is coming and an end and concrete efforts should be made on urgent basis to fill these important posts of the power sector.
Er Dhiman said that the power sector requires long term planning to ensure reliable and quality power supply. Instead of offering regular tenures, the power department has started granting make-shift extensions to the posts of CMD, Directors in PSPCL/ PSTCL without fixed tenure. The posts of Directors HR has been vacant in PSPCL for the last 12 years. Even after 13 years of bifurcation of PSEB under so called reforms for improving efficiency and professionalism, PSTCL is yet to get a full time CMD.
Such ad-hoc decisions of the Power Department are not only affecting the decision making on these important posts but creating an uncertainty in the power sector, affecting the efficiency of both the corporations. Winter season, with lower electricity demand, which could have been utilised for maintenance works, building new substations, installing new transformers, in preparation for the summer season, is now being wasted.
Er Dhiman warned that If these posts are kept vacant the upcoming paddy season will be challenging for the power sector and ordinary consumers will face power interruptions. He requested CM Punjab, Bhagwant Singh Mann and Harbhajan Singh ETO Power Minister to intervene and direct the concerned to complete the selection process for these key posts on priority, any further delay in this matter will be fatal for the Punjab power sector.
Even after Sran’s extension ad-hocism to continue in Punjab’s power sector
January 4,2023
