ISLAMABAD-The federal authorities has failed to finish the method of hiring new NEPRA chairman 90 days previous to the expiry of the tenure of the incumbent chairman of the ability sector regulator.
Lower than a month earlier than the expiry of the tenure of the incumbent chairman NEPRA, the Federal Cupboard by means of circulation has authorized the abstract permitting initiating the method of hiring of latest chief for the ability regulatory physique, official supply advised The Nation.
“By way of the availability of Part 3(5) of NEPRA (Modification) Act, 2021, the method of appointing the chairman underneath Part 3(2) needs to be finalized ninety days previous to the retirement of the incumbent chairman,” the supply stated.
The incumbent chairman is finishing his tenure on August 4, 2023, and the federal government has began the method for hiring the brand new chairman on July 10, 2023. Part 3(2) of the Regulation of Technology, Transmission and Distribution of Electrical Energy Act (NEPRA Act),1997 stipulates that the Authority shall include a boss and 4 specialised members to be appointed by the federal authorities. The current Chairman NEPRA, Tauseef H. Farooqi was appointed on July 31, 2019, and the 4 (04) years time period of appointment expires on August 04, 2023.
By way of Part 3 (3) of the NEPRA (Modification) Act, 2021, the chairman shall be an individual identified for his integrity and eminence, having expertise of not lower than 12 years in any related subject together with legislation, enterprise, engineering, finance, chartered accountancy or economics ideally within the electrical energy providers enterprise.
Part 3(5) of the Act states that the chairman shall, until he resigns or is faraway from workplace earlier, maintain workplace for a time period of 4 years and shall be eligible for re-appointment for comparable time period, supplied additional that the chairman shall not be appointed if he has attained the age of sixty years. The supply stated {that a} Committee was constituted to comprehensively assessment the Regulation of Technology, Transmission and Distribution of Electrical Energy Act, 1997, as amended as much as 2021. The Energy Division, being secretariat of the Committee, initiated the method i.e. consultations with the Committee and inputs of sector professionals, which is underneath manner and will take appreciable time for finalization & approval.
Subsequently, a abstract was submitted to the Prime Minister searching for approval to provoke the method although floating commercial. The Federal Cupboard by means of circulation has authorized the abstract to promote the publish of chairman, NEPRA in newspapers to ask functions.
With the commercial of the publish of chairman NEPRA, the probabilities of incumbent chairman NEPRA to take second time period has turn out to be dim. The incumbent NEPRA chief was employed through the PTI tenure. His time period in workplace noticed an irregular hike within the electrical energy base tariff which has recorded a rise of greater than 100 p.c from over Rs 9 per unit to over Rs 24 per unit. Furthermore, one other hike of as much as Rs Four per unit in base tariff can also be within the pipeline. It’s value mentioning right here that hike the bottom tariff is the area of the federal authorities, nonetheless, as a regulator it’s the obligation of NEPRA to suggest the hike to govt.