JSERC defunct, cases pending for mnths

Ranchi: Even as chief minister Hemant Soren started an initiative to focus more on green energy and develop a business model to attract investors, his government is silent on strengthening the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC), which is mandated to finalised tariff for power generators, distributors and resolve conflicts related to the power sector.
Since January this year, JSERC, a quasi-judicial autonomous body constituted under the Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998, has been defunct as it has no chairman, secretary or members. The commission is also responsible for the optimal allocation of resources in the power sector and encouraging sustainable development by promoting renewable sources in power generation.
Sources said the post of the chairman is vacant since June 2020 after the last incumbent, Arbind Prasad, a former IAS of Bihar cadre, tendered his resignation following allegations of corruption. The positions of two members and the secretary are also lying vacant. While one member, Ravindra Narayan Singh, completed his term on January 9 this year another member, Pravas Kumar Singh, remitted the office on February 19.
The last person serving in the position of the secretary was A K Mehta, who retired on July 15, 2019. After the positions were vacant, they are filled up on an ad-hoc basis, but state law officer R P Nayak has been carrying out the responsibility of both law officer and secretary. However, there has been no official move to appoint or promote anyone to the position of secretary since Mehta.
A notification signed by Nayak on February 23, 2021, in the capacity of secretary reads that since the post of chairman and members of the commission are vacant, cases listed for hearing are adjourned till further orders. As of date, as many as 16 cases pending for hearing are adjourned indefinitely. Some of these cases are of importance for both the petitioners and the respondents. The petitioners are either power producers like DVC, JBVNL or consumers of low and high-tension categories.
The application for determination of feed-in tariff for sale of solar power to JBVNL by farmers/co-operatives/panchayats/ other developers who would set up decentralised ground-mounted grid-connected solar power plants of capacities ranging between 0.5MW and 2MW is also pending since September 30, 2020.
In the absence of tariff approval, JBVNL is also not in a position to move forward with the project of setting up solar power plants under the Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan launched by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy.
No one in the government is willing to speak about the reason for the delay in the appointments. The chief minister, who also holds the portfolio of the energy ministry, is also in charge of the administrative and personnel reforms department, responsible for the appointments.