Shillong, June 27: The post of chairman-cum managing director (CMD) of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) will be separated to improve the performance of the corporation.
This was decided in the cabinet meeting held on Monday.
Earlier a bureaucrat was holding the posts of both chairman and MD.
The decision is to restructure the MeECL and its three subsidiaries – Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Ltd (MePGCL), Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (MePDCL) and Meghalaya Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (MePTCL).
“We have decided that the post of CMD of the MeECL will be separate. The government has decided that there will be a full time managing director (MD) of MeECL. The MD can be somebody who is from the IAS cadre/lateral entry/ technocrat who will be selected by a transparent process.
The person who will be the MD of the MeECL shall also be the MD of the MePGCL, MePDCL and MePTCL.”
Two chairpersons
“The chairman of the MeECL will be the power minister who will be the non-executive chairman of the board while the chairman of the other three subsidiaries will be the chief secretary or the additional chief secretary or the principal secretary in-charge of power,” he said.
The chief minister said the decision has been taken as in the past 50 years, the MeECL has been managed by officials from the state government who had multiple responsibilities and hence it was not possible for them to give necessary time to run the corporation properly.
“Hence, this decision has been taken in the larger interest of the overall restructuring and improving the overall performance of the MeECL and its subsidiary companies,” he added.
Technocrat preferred as MD
To a question on the choice of a technocrat through a lateral entry system, the chief minister said, “This has never been discussed before so we decided that we need a technocrat to run the MeECL”.
“Hence, a person who has experience in power sector and in running PSUs in the past would be preferable and we feel strongly that they would do justice to the entire working of the MeECL.”
With this, the chief minister hoped that the MeECL will improve its functioning.
