On October 13, state-run power major Damodar Valley Corporation got a new chairman after a gap of 10 months but Subrata Biswas?s appointment appears to have raised the hackles of the central vigilance commission (CVC) which has objected to it and charged the power ministry with overlooking procedures.
In a letter dated October 20 to the power ministry — FE has a copy — the CVC wrote: ?It is not understood how the ministry processed his [Subrata Biswas] appointment without vigilance clearance from the commission.?
?It is for your further information that in a case arising out of the CTE (chief technical examiner) examination of some works in DVC, the commission has advised disciplinary action against Shri Biswas. In two more cases, the role of Shri Biswas has been found to attract disciplinary action,? the letter stated.
Reacting to the CVC letter, Biswas told FE: ?I have joined by the ministry?s order and none other than the Prime Minister has approved it. Now the CVC and the power ministry have to sort out all that is going on between them.?
But the union power ministry has taken cognisance of the latest observation by the CVC. Power secretary HS Brahma when contacted said ?the ministry is looking into it.? But he refused to make any further comment on the issue. Calls to power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde went unanswered. The CVC letter has also asked for further details. ?The Commission vide its letter no 009-VGC-46/43134 dated 19.5.2009, (has) requested your ministry to furnish bio-data of the officer giving information in respect of the officer for the preceding 10 years.?
The DVC, a three way venture between the centre, West Bengal and Jharkhand governments has capacity addition projects adding up to 5,200 mw lined up, and the company currently generates 2854 mw, supplying bulk power to industries in West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Of the seven new projects it is implementing, two are joint ventures with Tata Power and SAIL, to add a capacity of 7250 mw by 2012. Of the 7250 mw, DVC is supposed to supply 2500 mw to the national capital region to power Commonwealth Games in 2010. But all the new projects are way behind schedule.
The company reported a profit after tax of Rs 1,126 crore on a turnover of Rs 4,953 crore in 2007-08, but despite repeated attempts, DVC?s director accounts TK Gupta, refused to share 2008-09 results.
The countdown to Biswas?s appointment began in April, when the Union power ministry sought vigilance clearance of Biswas, then secretary of DVC. His name was apparently number two in the panel figuring after Sreemath Pandey, principal secretary of the chief minister and energy department of Rajasthan.
With Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot refusing to release Pandey, Biswas? name surfaced for the post and the power ministry sought vigilance clearance for him. The power ministry had appointed Pandey for the post in June after a long selection process. The process requires approval of the governors of West Bengal and Jharkhand, before running through the power ministry, department of personnel and training and finally the appointments committee of the union cabinet, ACC.
The ACC gave its approval and on October 13, the power ministry appointed Biswas as the DVC chairman, on ?nomination basis? for a period of five years, or till his retirement on superannuation or until further orders, whichever is earlier. According to a CVC official, the commission has made it clear that it will re-visit the entire order. The post of a full-time DVC chairman has been lying vacant since December 2008 after the last incumbent, Asim Barman retired.