ISLAMABAD: In a reshuffle in power bureaucracy, the government has changed four chief executive officers of important independent subsidiaries of the water and power ministry.

Even before fully taking over the charge last year, the PML-N had announced that it would fill the posts through an independent selection process, but the offices are still being run on an ad hoc basis.

Informed sources told Dawn that Sohail Akbar Shah, additional secretary of the ministry, had been given the additional charge of chief executive of the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB).

An officer of the powerful district management group, Mr Shah was till now holding the post of managing director of the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) — a central agency working as a one-window operation to deal with investments in the power sector.

Mr Shah was relieved from the PPIB to take over the AEDB whose function is to attract investments in alternative energy re­­sources like wind, solar, biomass, etc. It has been without a full-time head for more than two years.

Before his removal last week, Asjad Imtiaz Ali was holding the additional charge of AEDB chief executive, along with four other critical and full-time assignments, including chairman of the Federal Flood Commission.

The role of the FFC has come under criticism during recent floods in Punjab.

The vacant post of PPIB managing director has been given to another officer of the board, Shahjehan Mirza, as an additional charge basis. He is currently holding the full-time job of executive director finance and policy.

Likewise, the post of managing director of the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) — an umbrella organisation responsible for monitoring the distribution, generation and transmission companies — was given to another officer of the district management group, Imran Ahmad, on an additional charge basis.

The post fell vacant after removal of Zargham Eshaq Khan, who had also been holding the post of acting Pepco chief for a few years, in addition to his actual assignment of joint secretary power.

It may be recalled that since 2008 Pepco has been declared defunct thrice and resolutions were moved for its liquidation on the advice of international lenders. Legal and practical process for its liquidation is yet to be completed.

Over and above, Mr Zargham will continue to work as chief executive officer of the Central Power Purchase Agency (CPPA) — another organisation under the power ministry responsible for procuring electricity from the generation plants in public and private sectors and selling it to distribution companies. It also deals with revenue requirements of the distribution, generation and transmission companies.

The sources said that several distribution, generation and transmission companies had been without permanent heads and were being run on an ad hoc basis.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd , 2014