Engineers’ association demands appointment of full-time technocrats to head PSPCL, PSTCL

The appointment of a bureaucrat as CMD of the power corporation has drawn the ire of Power engineers. In a letter to the Chief Minister, the PSEB Engineers Association has urged him to appoint a full-time technocrat as CMD of PSPCL and CMD of PSTCL, instead of making ad-hoc arrangements.

The letter mentions that the selection process to fill the CMD posts was initiated, but the Power Department has not been able to complete it to date. Currently, the charge of CMD for PSPCL and PSTCL has been handed to the newly appointed Secretary, Power.

It must be noted that the Punjab Government has set an ambitious and much-needed target of achieving “Zero Power Outages” by March 2026. To meet this goal, focused and technically competent leadership is indispensable. It is practically unfeasible for a Secretary-level officer, who is entrusted with multiple major administrative assignments and who may have limited or no prior experience in the power sector, to devote the level of technical and managerial attention that PSPCL and PSTCL critically require.

Moreover, assigning the charge of CMD, PSPCL, to a Secretary-level officer is inconsistent with the qualifications prescribed under the prevailing Government of Punjab notification. This ad-hoc arrangement will not only disrupt the informed decision-making process on these crucial technical positions but also create a sense of uncertainty and instability in the power sector.

The association urges again that regular technocrat CMDs be appointed for both PSPCL and PSTCL to ensure dedicated, experienced, and technical leadership capable of effectively steering these corporations.

“The power sector constitutes a vital public service, and any form of undue political interference in its technical operations, day-to-day functioning, procurement processes or Board agendas may seriously undermine its efficiency and long-term stability of power sector. Such actions would not only be contrary to the vision of “Zero Power Outage” by March 2026, but would also ultimately impair the quality and reliability of power services being provided to the consumers”, engineers said.