Uttarakhand Govt. Says Engineering Degrees not Needed for Top Posts in Power Corporations
Uttarakhand, which is known as the latest laboratory of ‘Sangh Parivar’ on the lines of ‘Gujarat model’ in orchestrating Hindu-Muslim divisions, has earned the dubious distinction of setting a unique precedent in ‘good governance’. The state Cabinet decided on February 24, to do away with requirement of technical qualifications for the top posts of its’ three power corporations. This was done reportedly in a bid to save the chair of Managing Director of Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (PITCUL) whose appointment was set aside by a double bench of Justice Asish Naithani and Subhash Upadhaya of the Nainital High Court in an order on February 18, 2026, on the grounds of not having the required technical degree for holding that particular post. The court set aside the appointment, which was done temporarily three years ago, on writs filed by Praveen Tandon, Anil Chandra Baluni and Rajiv Gupta challenging the same. Despite court orders, the state government continued to allow Prakash Chander Dhayani, the MD of PITCUL to work and then brought about a cabinet resolution changing the qualifications for the post.
But this was not taken kindly by the Nainital High Court. Justice Alok Verma taking up a petition of contempt against court orders of February 18, issued notices to Meenakshi Sundram, Uttarakhand Power Secretary to appear online personally before the court on March 19, 2026. Following this, late on the night of February 27, the state government ordered the removal of Dhayani, taking away the additional charge of Managing Director PITCUL which he was holding since 2022. Meharban Singh Bisht, Additional Secretary Power has been given the charge as per orders of the Power Secretary Meenakshi Sundram.
Favouritism for Top Brass
Since their own favourites did not have necessary technical qualifications, the Uttarakhand cabinet passed a resolution making the posts of Managing Directors of three power corporations non-technical ones. The three entities are Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (PITCUL), Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) and Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL). Engineering qualifications were required to head them since the work was highly technical. By converting these posts to non-technical status, any ‘favourite’ of the political and bureaucratic bosses could be appointed on these positions.
|
The decision of the state government to lower the qualifications for the top posts resulted in turmoil amongst the engineering community serving the state. The engineers serving in the three power corporations of the state had warned of mass resignations over the state government's attempt to eliminate the criteria of engineering background for appointment as Managing Directors of these corporations. The Uttarakhand Power Engineers Association (UPEA) warned the state government of mass resignations and a tool-down strike against the conversion of positions like MD, which require an engineering background, into non-technical ones and the extension of service to retired officers. Political ControversyThe issue had also snow balled into a political controversy with Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Yashpal Arya charging the state BJP government of elevating a class three employee as Managing Director of PITCUL and sought a judicial probe into the entire affair. “It is known fact that why such officers who are not qualified enough to hold senior technical posts are appointed by the political bosses and bureaucrats,” alleged Yashpal Arya in a statement. Rahul Chandana, General Secretary of Uttarakhand Power Engineers Association (UPEA) said that a meeting of the executive committee of the association held on February 25, 2026, unanimously condemned the extensions granted to retired officers in energy corporations and opposed the state government move to eliminate the requirement of an engineering background for the top positions in these corporations. The writer is a senior freelance journalist based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. |
|
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
