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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Govt seeking increase in age limit for Nepra chief, members

By Khalid Mustafa
February 16, 2019

ISLAMABAD: The PTI government is all set to reverse the clause of amended Nepra act pertaining to the age limit to get adjusted its retired officials in the Authority of electric power regulator damaging the efforts to run the entity with talented young personalities who are well versed with power sector market.

The Power Division has communicated a letter with title of Most Immediate to four provincial governments seeking the endorsement to increase the age limit for Members and Chairman of Nepra. The letter was written on February 8 and signed by section officer (Power Finance) Rao M Rizwan Ahsan to chief secretaries of the four provinces of which the copy is available with The News.

The Power Division has swung into action and sought the endorsement from the four provincial governments on the letter of KP Chief Minister Mehmmod Khan addressed to Omar Ayub Khan, Federal Minister for Power, seeking the increase in the retirement age limit for Members and Chairman of Nepra from 60 to 65 years. In the amended Nepra Act the age was reduced to 60 years.

KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan in the letter written on January 7, 2019 to Power Minister Omar Ayub of which a copy is also in procession of The News sought that the amendment already made be withdrawn and the age may be fixed at 65 years arguing that services of experienced persons should be utilised in the energy sector of the country. The KP Chief Minister’s letter also proposed enactment of a committee headed by secretary Power Division having representation from provincial governments that may re-examine the Nepra Act to remove other short comings in the Amended Act.

Joint Secretary (Finance) in the Power Division, Zargham Ehsan Khan, confirmed the development saying that KP Chief Minister has sent a letter to Power Division seeking the withdrawal of the Nepra amended act to again increase the retirement age limit to 65 years for members and chairman of regulator which the Power Division has just forwarded to chief secretaries of four provinces for endorsement. He said that reversing the amended act is difficult but Power Division has just forwarded the KP chief Minister’s proposal to the provincial governments for their inputs and if any province does not agree with it, then regulator’s affairs would continue to be run under amended act.

However, KP Chief Minister also substantiated in the letter saying that reducing the age of retirement and required length of experience of the members of the Authority will have a negative impact on the operations of the Authority and on the sector as a whole. He also argued that incase retirement age is not reverted back to 65 years, junior level people will be appointed with a sub-optimal level of experience, insufficient maturity and limited depth and exposure to handle the multi-faceted implications arising out of the decisions of the Authority. The role of chairman and members requires that only such persons should be eligible who have gained a varied and diverse experience in their careers, and who have attained sufficient maturity. The retirement age of 60 is also inconsistent with other independent regulatory authorities in Pakistan. Moreover the creation of appellate tribunal only adds another layer to the adjudication process.

Nepra Act was earlier amended to run the power sector on modern lines with new power market dynamics and the age was reduced to get rid of the retired secretaries which manipulated for becoming the members and chairman of the power regulator. Under the Amended Act, Nepra Members were to be hired from the powers sector market and to this effect member from Sindh has been appointed from the power sector market who is very dynamic and likewise Balochistan government has also appointed former CEO of Quetta Electric Supply Company. Only Punjab has appointed ex-secretary Water and Power as its member, but his appointment was made before the amendment of the Nepra Act.

It may not be out of place to mention that Nepra came into being in 1997 through an Act of Parliament. From day first bureaucracy continued to get hold of the position of members from all the provinces. Mansoor Elahi, a retired additional secretary, remained Punjab Member from 2000-2005. Zafar Ali Khan, a retired secretary privatisation, stayed Member from 2005-2011. The trend shows that PTI government wants to make NEPRA again the parking lot of retired senior officials.