11 TSSPDCL, TSNPDCL directors removed from post over ‘illegal appointments’

Hyderabad: The services of 11 directors of the Telangana North and South electricity corporations (TSSPDCL and TSNPDCL) have been discontinued with immediate effect by the Government of Telangana.

In a government order issued on Monday, the government stated that nine directors had been appointed without following the due procedures of law. Only two directors B Venkateshwar Rao and T Srinivas, who served 10 years and five months each, were appointed by following proper procedure. The others have been termed by the government as ‘illegally appointed’.

Immediate discontinuation

The order stated that the directors on the list should discontinue their roles with immediate effect. This means that the senior officials have to now follow the due process and appoint new directors.

Term of director

A director has to be appointed for two years and a one-year extension can be granted according to the rule of law. The extension can be granted two times only. But the nine directors served for more than two years: eight directors served for five years and one director for nine years.

The department has to now appoint new directors according to the rule book for two years only.

This development comes in the light of unpaid power bills that officials say have put considerable stress on the finances of the electricity department. The biggest defaulters of electricity bills in Telangana are the State government offices themselves.

A White Paper was released by the Congress government which showed the total debt as Rs 81,516 crores as of October 31. The accumulated losses by the Telangana discoms have increased from Rs 12,186 crores in 2014 to Rs 62,461 crores in October 2023. The TD Discoms have incurred a loss of Rs 11,103 crores in 2022-23.

The arrears of the government departments total Rs 28,861 crores. This is a considerable increase from the arrears recorded during the formation of Telangana State which were Rs 1,268 crores.

The pending amount for the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board (HMWS&SB) is Rs 3,932 crores. Other municipalities in the state need to give Rs 486 crores; the home department owes Rs 28 crores; the health and family welfare department has to pay Rs 48 crores as dues and other departments owe Rs 77 crores to the electricity government. The electricity costs incurred after implementing the project for providing street lighting are also pending.