Three shortlisted for post of PSPCL CMD

Panel of names will now be sent to power minister, who will finalise one name and forward it to CM for final order

PATIALA :A screening-cum-selection committee, headed by chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh, has shortlisted three candidates for the post of chief managing director (CMD) of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

Sources said the three shortlisted candidates are NK Sharma, currently working as director (distribution), PSPCL; retired PSPCL chief engineer Baldev Singh Sran, who has a proven track record of increasing power generation; and Harbans Singh, regional executive director of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

They were chosen out of four technocrats who appeared for the interview for the CMD’S post on Friday before the selection committee.the fourth candidate who appeared for the interview was SK Puri, a retired engineer-in-chief, PSPCL.

PANEL MEMBERS

Besides the chief secretary, other members of the selection committee are additional chief secretary, power, Satish Chandra, and Power Finance Corporation chairman Rajeev Sharma.

Sources said the selection panel reviewed the previous track record of these candidates, besides asking them to outline their future plans for the PSPCL.

The committee will now send the panel of three candidates to power minister Gurpreet Kangar, who will finalise one name and forward it to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh for the final order.

It is for the first time that the Punjab government has conducted interviews for the post of the CMD, PSPCL.

This is a departure from the previous practice of selecting the officer through a screening of service record, with the chief minister giving the final nod.

A Venu Prasad, an IAS officer, currently holds the CMD’S charge at the PSPCL as former CMD KD Chaudhry was asked to put in his papers in March 2017.

When contacted, power minister Gurpreet Kangar said the file is yet to reach his office and he will take a call on it on Monday.