In Short : The Delhi government has appointed two pro tem members to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). These temporary appointments are intended to ensure the smooth functioning of the power regulator while the selection process for permanent members is completed.
In Detail : New Delhi : The Delhi government has appointed two pro tem members of the power regulator DERC, bringing the commission to full strength, including chairman, after a period of more than one and half years.
The Power department has issued an order for appointment of Ram Naresh Singh and Surender Babbar as pro tem (temporary) members of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission after they were shortlisted in March by a Supreme Court appointed panel, officials said.
The appointment of the two pro tem members was hindered initially due to imposition of model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls and later due to imprisonment of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, they said.
The order for appointment of the two members was finally issued after the approval of the Supreme Court, they said.
Singh is an electrical engineer who last served as the chairman of the Damodar Valley Corporation. Babbar was posted as executive director (finance) in Delhi Transco Limited.
The Supreme Court in August 2023, nominated Justice (retd) Jayant Nath as the pro tem chairperson of the DERC amid an impasse between the AAP government in Delhi and the Lieutenant Governor over the appointment of head of the power regulator.
The Court in November 2023 set up a three-member selection panel to short-list and appoint two pro tem members for the DERC.
The pro tem member will hold office till the outcome of the proceedings pending before the Supreme Court in a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023.
The DERC decides power tariff every year, an exercise that is yet to be done for the current year. The immediate responsibility of the pro tem members would be to complete the process and announce the power tariff for the fiscal, officials said.
