Outgoing Odisha Chief Secy Suresh Mahapatra Appointed As OERC Chairperson

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Sunday appointed the outgoing Chief Secretary of Odisha, Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, as the Chairperson of Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC).

According to Energy Department’s notification, the order will come into effect from the day he assumes office.

In an earlier notification, the government had announced appointment of senior IAS officer Pradeep Kumar Jena as the new Chief Secretary of Odisha. Mahapatra’s post-retirement extension ends on February 28.

Notably, the administrative circles had been abuzz with the possibility of Mahapatra being picked as the next OERC chairperson.  However, two successive six-month extension had put brakes on the appointment and the post had since been left vacant with Gajendra Mohapatra, a member of the State Judicial Service and former District and Session Judge, being appointed as the acting chairperson.

A 1986-batch IAS officer, Mahapatra has been a clear favourite for the coveted job in the electricity monitor with the experience of serving as Secretary, Energy, and Chairman of OPGC, OHPC, OTPCL and Gridco.

Odisha Bytes in an earlier report had mentioned that the ruling dispensation is expected to go for a retired bureaucrat as the OERC boss, considering that the three-person commission currently has a Member (Judicial), Gajendra Mohapatra, and a Member (Technical), Sushant Raymohapatra.

Industry insiders were of the opinion the OERC chief’s job could be of much interest to the powers that be in the government considering the recent takeover of all four distribution companies by Tata Power.