Himachal Power Engineers’ Association (HPEA) requests for appointment of Senior PowerEngineers as MD
Himachal Power Engineers’ Association (HPEA) requests for appointment of Senior PowerEngineers as MD
With reference to news reports appearing in various sections of the media, where it is being speculated
that extension in service may be granted to the Managing Director of HPSEB Ltd. who is due to retire
from services on 12th April, 2023, a meeting of HPEA (Himachal Power Engineers’ Association) was
convened to discuss the matter. It was unanimously felt that these reports must be without any base as
Power Engineers, including the present incumbent who is also a Power Engineer, have always opposed
the grant of extension in service across all categories.
This was evident when the grant of extension in service to the previous incumbent had caused extreme
resentment among Power Engineers, and accordingly the extension was not continued beyond six
months. It goes without saying that any grant of extension in service now will cause great resentment
again, and will lead to a loss of morale among Power Engineers of the State. Therefore, it was decided
that a delegation of Power Engineers will meet the Worthy CPS, Power and Hon’ble Chief Minister of
the State at the earliest and submit a memorandum to this effect.
Er. Lokesh Thakur, President, HPEA informed the press that the present incumbent is also a
Power Engineer and has actively opposed the grant of extension in services to Directors and
Managing Director in power utilities of the State over the years. It is, therefore, hard to believe
that the he will try to get extension for himself.
He further informed that grant of extension in service to any category of HPSEBL will have far-reaching
implications for the State’s public sector institutions and will set a dangerous precedent for the future.
The fact remains that the grant of extension in service leads to stagnation in career development of
members of the organization and hinders the growth of young and talented professionals.
Himachal Power Engineers, including present Director and Managing Directors of various power
utilities of the State, have always opposed the grant of extensions, as it leads to a loss of morale among
the fraternity. If the grant of extension is given to one category, other categories may demand the
same, leading to the start of a wrong precedent. This could ultimately undermine the credibility and
effectiveness of the power utilities of the State.
From past experience, it has been seen that the incumbent on extension has his or her best interests at
heart, and does not bother about the organization’s overall health and development.
It was further unanimously felt that all power utilities of the State should be headed by serving senior
power Engineers from the State as they have devoted more than 30 years to the development of
power sector in the State. The senior Power Engineers of the State are well versed with the unique
challenges faced in development of the power sector in Himachal Pradesh due to its’ unique
demographical and geographical conditions. These very Power Engineers, under the guidance of the
able leadership of the State, played a pivotal role in making Himachal one of the first States in the
Country to achieve 100 % electrification of villages in the late 1990s.
The Power Engineers of the State are fully committed toward the vision of the Hon’ble Chief
minister of the State to make Himachal Pradesh emerge as the leader of the power sector in the
country, and will leave no stone unturned to convert this vision into reality.
Also, as the ambitious Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which has been approved for an
approximate cost of 3700 Crores for the State is being finalised, it becomes especially important that
someone deeply familiar with the power sector of the state is managing the affairs at the MD level in
the power utilities of the State.
Accordingly, the delegation of Power Engineers will also request the Hon’ble Chief minister to
appoint a Power Engineer as the Managing Director of Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission
Corporation Ltd. (HPPTCL) which is looking after the development of the Extra High Voltage
system (EHV) (66 kV and above system) in the State and is playing the vital role of evacuation of power
of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) of the State. In fact, Hon’ble Chief minister recently has
directed HPPTCL to speed up the works it is executing so that extra revenue can be generated for the
State.
Similarly, the post of Director (Electrical) Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (HPPCL) has also
been lying vacant for a long time, and the advertisement for the post needs to be issued at the earliest
so that a suitable Power Engineer can be appointed on the post. The Power Engineers will request the
Hon’ble Chief minister to direct the concerned authorities to expedite the process of appointment
of the aforementioned Director as already a long time has elapsed with the post lying vacant.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister has rightly embarked upon the ambitious vision of development of
Himachal Pradesh as a green power state and accordingly HPPCL has been entrusted with the
development of 200-250 MW solar power projects in the State. The early posting of a power engineer
as the MD, HPPTCL, and an early appointment of the Director, HPPCL shall help in speeding the
process, and in making the vision of the leadership come to life.
Source : HPEA (Himachal Power Engineers’ Association) Website
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