The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), has appointed Rajesh Awasthi as its chairman after the post was lying vacant for a gap of about two months.
Taking charge, Awasthi said that his priority areas would be capacity addition, reducing the gap between demand and supply and sprucing up the crumbling distribution system.
Awasthi?s name was cleared by a three-member selection committee headed by Justice Kulshrestha and had the chief secretary of the state, Atul Kumar Gupta and the chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority, Rakesh Nath as its members.
According to sources, Awasthi, who had worked with the NTPC as DGM in Chattisgarh earlier, also served a brief stint with a private group, which has interests in the energy sector before taking up his current posting.
Interestingly, it is this issue that is irking the employees of the energy sector, as they feel that since he has been associated with the private industrial house, it may reflect in his working as head of such a significant body.
They feel that since the said industrial group is also involved in the bidding process of many power projects in the state, the appointment of anyone having worked with the group immediately before joining as UPERC chief may hamper the impartial functioning of
the body.
?Important projects are set to be finalised shortly. We fear that with the chairperson of the regulatory authority, he may tilt the in favour of this group,? alleged a spokesperson of the employees of the UPPCL.
Quoting the Act, which governs the appointment of the chairperson of the regulatory, the employees state, ?before recommending any person for the appointment as chairperson, the selection committee shall satisfy itself that such a person does not have any financial or other interest which is likely to affect prejudicially his functions as chairperson.