Himachal Power Engineers’ Association (HPEA) requests for appointment of Senior Power Engineers as MD, HPSEBL and HPPTCL

SHIMLA: Himachal Power Engineers’ Association (HPEA) requests for appointment of Senior Power Engineers as MD, HPSEBL and HPPTCL

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 12^th 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.