Power utility chief's transfer condemned

The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social activists have condemned the state government's decision to transfer Sanjay Bhatia, managing director of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), holding him responsible for cutting the power supply at chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's official residence in Nagpur.

In a press release issued by the Pune-based NGO, Prayas, working in the field of energy related issues, Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, a consumer rights organisation, and Vivek Velenkar, a social activist from Pune, said that, "there is something more than that meets the eye in the transfer episode."

"Bhatia has done a good job as the managing director of the power utility by reducing transmission and distribution losses, taking stern action against those involved in corruption cases and bringing transparency in the functioning of MSEDCL".

They suspected the role of vested interests behind his transfer for denying a slice of the Rs 1,4000-crore massive modernisation and expansion of MSEDCL.

They said Bhatia had taken many steps to ensure transparency in awarding contracts for the massive programme and thus rubbed them the wrong way.

Instead of rewarding Bhatia for initiating steps to recover power bill dues even from influential and powerful people, the government punished him by transferring him out of MSEDCL, they lamented and said this would demoralise honest officials in the organisation.