Energy Dept officials’ appointment stirs hornet’s nest

The lack of transparency and the flouting of parameters in appointment of senior officials in the Energy Department have left many eligible officers upset.

Take the case of the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) Director Finance Samir Ranjan Swain, whose service was terminated by the State Government on December 31, 2021 stating, “His further continuance is detrimental to the interest of the organisation.” Later, Swain moved the Orissa High Court against the order and managed to get a stay on it.

However, insiders said Swain’s appointment itself in the OPTCL was controversial as he was not qualifying the recruitment criteria which stated that if a candidate is from the private sector, the company in which he is working should be listed in the stock exchange.