Questions raised over extension to YS Ratra

PNS | Chandigarh

The decision of Punjab Government to grant another extension to Y S Ratra, present chairman of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has raised questions about legality of the decision.

Ratra’s term expires on January 12. He has reached the maximum age limit of 66 years allowed under the Electricity Act. Punjab Government reported to have decided to amend the Act to raise the limit to 67 years. Ratra was appointed PSEB Chairman by the Amarinder Singh Government in 2005 for a period of two years. His term was extended for one year by the present Government in the January 2007.

The PSEB engineers have questioned that under what act the extension to the present chairman has been given as the Punjab State Electricity Board has ceased to be a legal entity, with the Centre refusing to grant any further extension for it to continue in the unbundled form as required under the Electricity Act, 2003.

Punjab Government is appointing members and chairman of the Board under Electricity Act 1948 but after the Electricity Act 2003 has been enacted the appointments under earlier acts are not legally valid.

The electricity act 2003 mandates segregation of the transmission, distribution and generation functions of the board and it could be allowed to continue as an unbundled entity only with the mutual consent of the State Government and the Centre.

The State had been dithering on the issue of unbundling the State utility and seeking extensions for the past so many years .The last extension expired on November 30 2008, and the Government had sought extension till the time Parliament elections are over on the grounds that a lot of groundwork is required to be done to tackle the financial implications.

Senior officers pointed out that the only way out for the Government to wriggle out of the situation is to make the State Power Transmission Corporation an independent Government company.