Nepra parking lot of deputationists

ISLAMABAD: National Electric Power Regulator Authority (Nepra) has virtually become the parking lot of the deputationists from various ministries causing heart-burning of the regulator’s employees hampering the promotion prospects.

Despite the clear orders of Supreme Court, some top bureaucrats are allegedly exerting pressure on Authority to accommodate their blue-eyed officers for three years on deputations just for attractive financial gains, perks and privileges ranging from better house rent and car facility to high class medical facilities knowing the fact that nature of jobs in Nepra is highly technical, a senior official told The News.

However, Saif Ullah Chattha, Member Punjab in Nepra, when contacted, said there is no pressure from any ministry for parking the officials from various ministries in Nepra. When asked if Authority is going to hold meeting on Friday next to decide about fate of some intending deputationists, he again refused saying no such meeting is going to take place. However, he admitted saying this issue is causing unrest among the regular officers laced with knowledge in specific fields in the Nepra.

Supreme Court in its detailed judgement came up with the observations mentioning that a) heart-burning of the regulator’s employees hampering the promotion prospects thus violating the fundamental rights of the officers which were guaranteed under the Constitution; b) A civil servant cannot be appointed against a cadre post; c) The practice of deputationists has to be discouraged and d) if a person is required to be posted upon on deputation then that person must have the matching qualification, expertise in the field with required years of experience and the exigency of his appointment must be explained.

Nepra’s top mandarins are under tremendous pressure to entertain some more officers from various ministries as deputationists and if Authority succumbs to the pressure then the SC judgement will be violated which is to be tantamount to the contempt of apex court. And to this effect the three-member Authority is going to hold meeting on Friday which will decide about the fate of some officers of various ministries who want to be parked in Nepra as deputationists. The official said that this is the litmus test of Authority how it handles the pressure from decision makers in the government on issue of deputationists.

According to the minutes of the Authority administration meeting regarding the status of deputationists in the regulator in the light of SC judgement held on March 3, 2017 with the then chairman Tariq Saddozai in the chair. In that particular meeting the then vice chairman Himayat Ullah Khan, the then Member (M&E/Licensing) and the then member (CA) Syed Masood ul Hasan Naqvi also participated. In that meeting DG HR and Admin, DG Finance, Director HRM and Legal Adviser also participated. In that particular meeting, according to the decisions, repatriated Aftab Alam, DG (C&I) to its parent Ministry of Interior after three year tenure, Adnan Dayar, Director (HRD) to Communication Ministry, Mrs Madiha Shahid Malik, deputy director coordination to Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and Naeem Saleem deputy director CAD will be repatriated to Ministry of Water and Power after three years tenure.

About Mohammad Hanif, deputy director (finance) which was brought by Nepra itself over his expertise in finance, the meeting will decide on the expiry of his three-year tenure as he is still indispensable for the regulator or not.

The meeting that held on March 3, 2017 had decided that it will take decisions about deputationists keeping in view five factors that include; a) What is the exigency of having that person on deputation?, b) whether he qualifies for the job against which he is working at Nepra?; C) Whether he has requisite experience with required years?; d) Whether he possesses special and specific skill which are not available at Nepra or readily available in the market? E) Whether appointing the person on deputation hampers the promotion prospects of the regulator’s employees or causes unrest among them.