news details |
|
|
| SPDC is no place to rehabilitate retiring bureaucrats | | | Vikram Gour. | 12/19/2011 10:56:01 PM |
| The state government In a recent reshuffle of the higher beaurocracy has again placed a retiring bureaucrat as the Managing Director (MD) of State Power Development Corporation (SPDC) the functioning of which is far from satisfactory. The post of MD that should be handled by an experienced professional is again and again being doled out to a generalist whom the government wants rehabilitate after his retirement and who can only capable to handle administrative working of SPDC and certainly cannot guide the corporation in professional matters.
The Board of Directors (BOD) of the SPDC is already almost 95% in the hands of the top state beaurocracy. Commenting on the performance of BOD of SPDC the state Financial Commission (SFC) in their report was compelled to advise the government regarding induction of men of competence and professional experience in the BOD of the SPDC. Their advice contained in Third volume, Chapter (xi) of the SFC report to the government speaks volumes about the working of the BOD of the SPDC under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister. The performance and working of the SPDC for the last over 20-years of its creation vis-à-vis exploitation of the hydel- Power resources available in the state and harnessing of the available potential, Financial Management for taking up the hydro-projects, running of the small power houses, handling of the Big Power projects including those constructed by NHPC including Bhagliar and Dul-Hasti is an indication of the dismal performance of SPDC.
Totally government controlled BOD of the SPDC comprises of 11-members with CM as the Chairman of the board. 9- Members out of 11 are secretary commissioners of various government departments including the Economic Advisor to the government and the Chief Secretary, one representative of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and one Managing Director of SPDC who also invariably is an IAS officer. The BOD unconcerned with the overall day to day working of the SPDC meets only when some decisions are to be taken on taking up a new Project or signing of MOU with an outside agency for finalizing financial terms and conditions for construction of any Power Project. Although, the CM every now and then talks of retrieving power-projects in the state from NHPC yet the SPDC has not a single technical or clerical man on its cadre for running the projects. From top to bottom the entire SPDC staff is on deputation from different wings of the state engineering and civil departments. The Managing Director is either an IAS man or rarely a senior engineer from PDD, R&B, Mechanical or other civil department of the state. Similarly all engineering and clerical staff is on deputation from PDD, Civil, Mechanical or other engineering wings. All of them are posted in the SPDC for a specific period and are eager to return to their parent department. Since most of the deputed staff is ignorant of the working of the Hydro-Electric Power Houses they have to get trained to handle the power houses and by the time they reluctantly get trained and know the working of the Power Houses they are due to return to their parent departments. The working staff (both technical and clerical) therefore, has no interest or loyalty to honestly work for the PDC and are eager to run back to their parent departments.
SPDC was created in 1985 by the state government only to manage funds from the GOI has not been allowed to create its own cadre by BOD for the reasons best known to the government. That precisely is the reason for unsatisfactory performance of the SPDC to which the BOD has paid no attention. That also is the reason as to why the SDPC had to give running of the Bhagliar Hydro- Electric Power- House to NHPC on Annual Maintenance Contract.
The BOD of any organization is supposed to be an apex body of Experts, Professionals, experienced individuals who have worked in the field and of course are experts in managing the financial resources for the projects but the BOD of SPDC is totally and totally controlled by Top administrative officials of the government who can contribute nothing innovative to improve and exploit the power resources available in the state.
It is high time the Chief Minister takes initiative to reconstitute the BOD of the SPDC on the lines of the J&K Bank that has a mix of bankers, financial experts, economists, businessmen and enlightened citizens in their BOD if the government wants to really put the Power Generation on the right track. Mere appointing commissioners and government secretaries, that too by designation as members of the BOD will further deteriorate the power generation scenario in the state.
(Vikram Gour.)
President - Assn for welfare of Senior Citizens.
Member- State Consumer Protection Council.
State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Advisory Committee).
E-Mail: [email protected]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
