PSPCL to see shift of power

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

The Punjab Cabinet today fixed the retirement age for the post of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) Chairman-cum-MD at 60, paving the way for the immediate removal of KD Chaudhri, the incumbent chairman, who turned 65 on February 8. The earlier Parkash Singh Badal government, extending the retirement age to 67, had given Chaudhri three extensions.

After the Cabinet meeting today, Power Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh said it had been decided to appoint A Venu Prasad, Principal Secretary, Power, as CMD, PSPCL. Sources said henceforth, the post would remain with an IAS officer, preferably one who had worked in the power sector before.

This, however, could lead to heartburn among technocrats, who have for years been demanding that they be appointed to posts requiring technical expertise.

 The Cabinet included the streams of civil engineering, electronics and communication engineering, instrumentation engineering and information technology in the basic qualifications required for the post. Also, experience with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) would be counted.

 The Cabinet also agreed to enact a law on appointing law officers in the office of the Advocate General. The purpose is to streamline the appointment of Senior Additional AG, Additional AG, Senior Deputy AG, Deputy AG and Assistant AG and to bring transparency in the functioning of the office.

 The ‘Punjab Law Officers (Engagement) Act, 2017’ Bill will be tabled in the current session of the Vidhan Sabha to put in place a mechanism for engaging law officers in the Advocate General’s office purely on merit, as per the directions of the Supreme Court and the High Court.

 So far, it has been the CM’s discretion to appoint law officers. Mostly relatives of politicians, bureaucrats and other influential persons would occupy such posts.