BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) on Wednesday dissolved the management board of Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU). The charge of chief executive officer (CEO) of the utility has been given to Chief General Manager (Commerce) Prasanna Kumar Dash.
Senior IFS officer SK Popli was operating as the CEO since September 22, 2014 under Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (Operation and Management) Scheme. Dash assumed the charge of CESU CEO on the day. As OERC Chairman SP Nanda is retiring next week, sources said, a new board of management of the distribution company is likely to be constituted after recruitment of a new chairman of the Commission.
After revoking the licence of the then Central Electricity Supply Company (CESCO) on April 1, 2005, the Commission appointed a CEOcum- Administrator to discharge the activity of the utility. The Commission formulated a scheme named Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (Operation and Management) Scheme under Section 22 of the Electricity Act, 2003 on September 8, 2006 for operation and management of the utility. Though the scheme was in force for a period of two years, this has been extended from time to time. CESU has been carrying out the business of distribution of electricity as per licence conditions under the supervision of the regulatory commission.
The Commission had reconstituted a management board of CESU in September last year. The scheme was againamended and extended up to September 7, 2016. Apart from Energy Secretary, who is chairman of CESU, there are two nominees from the State Government to the CESU board of management.