Bhubaneswar: At a time when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is focusing on 5Ts that aims at ensuring good governance and achieving progress through Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation, an example of how officers flout norms, paying no attention to his good governance mantra has come to the fore in the appointment process of OPTCL Director (HRD).
It is alleged that a group of vested interests is now lobbying for an extension for Rajendra Kumar Senapati, whose three year term as OPTCL Director (HRD) ended on August 8.
Alleging that Senapati was appointed “illegally” to the post even not possessing requisite qualification and experience, the Asia Pacific Regional Representative also submitted a memorandum to Governor Ganeshi Lal recently opposing any further extension to him.
Reportedly, the effort still continues despite the fact that Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra on July 19 had written a letter to Public Enterprises Department intimating that the further extension of Senapati in the post may not be entertained in the larger interest of the public.
The Minister’s letter came after five separate allegations, including that of Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, Asia Pacific Regional Representative and Nikhila Odisha Bidyut Sramik Mahasangha lodged complaint with him against the reported move to give a further extension to Senapati.
The role of Energy Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Hemant Sharma, who is also happens to be the CMD of Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL), a public sector undertaking, has also raised many eyebrows as he has not intimating about the vacancy and requesting for fresh advertisement rests on the administrative department i.e. Energy Department, said Nikhila Odisha Bidyut Sramik Mahasangha general secretary Akshaya Kumar Tripathy.
“The post of OPTCL Director (HRD) was advertised in newspapers on February 20, 2016. After scrutiny of applications, three candidates were shortlisted for interview. Senapati was finally appointed and he eventually joined OPTCL as HRD Director on August 8, 2016. His three year tenure ended on August 8, 2019,” read the memorandum of the Asia Pacific Regional Representative submitted to the Governor.
As per Public Enterprises Department’s Rules of Business, the post should have been advertised at least six months before the end of the tenure of Senapati i.e. latest by February 8, 2019, it said.
“The responsibility of intimating about the vacancy and requesting for fresh advertisement rests on the administrative department – Energy Department. By the Energy Department is yet to act upon it with the intention of granting extension to Senapati. Coincidently the Energy Secretary is also the OPTCL CMD and it is mysterious as to what prevented him to request Public Enterprises Department to advertise for fresh appointment of Director HRD,” it added.
On a bare perusal of different criteria laid down in the advertisement starting from qualification to experience and job profile, it is apparently clear that Senapati does not fulfil any of the criteria. However, he has succeeded in evading the scrutiny of Public Enterprises Department, shortlisted for interview and eventually succeeded in getting selected, it alleged.
As per the details of advertisement, the candidate applying for the position must be a MBA with HR specialization or a post graduate degree in personnel Management and industrial relation/ Human Resources Management or its equivalent Senapati holds a MBA from National Institute of Personnel Management. As per records this is a two year correspondence course as per their website information.
“It is surprising that while OPTCL recruits HRD officer whose basic qualification is full time degree in MBA/ PGDPM / industrial relation, the Director HRD’s basic qualification is two year correspondence course. It is highly surprising how this has evaded the scrutiny of PE Department. To add to the record, Senapati just got second class in Matriculation, third class in intermediate , first class in BA (Psychology, where even average student get 1st class) and just passed a correspondence course in PG diploma in Personnel Management Experience,” the petition added.
