Foreign funded projects' supervision: Water, Power Ministry hiring retired officers

The Ministry of Water and Power is reportedly engaged in rehiring retired officers to supervise power sector projects worth about one billion dollars, funded by international financial institutions, sources told Business Recorder here on Monday.
These officers are: Managing Director, Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), Rasool Khan Mehsud; Munawar A Malik Habib, Anwar-ul-Haq, Muhammad Amjad and Masood Rehman. These appointments were made by then Minister for Water and Power Pervez Ashraf and Secretary Water and Power Shahid Rafi, subsequent to the ousting of Managing Director Pepco, Tahir Basharat Cheema, sources said.
The projects being supervised by these officers are being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under loan number Pak 2289, loan number Pak 2290, loan number Pak 2396, JBIC loan number Pk-P-54, JBIC loan number Pa-p-56 and 58, JICA loan number Pk-p-58 and Pk-P-61, World Bank loan number 7565 Pk, credit number 4463 & 4464 PK, KFW-BMZ Number 2003-65882, KFW and EDCF loan number Pak-2.
These loans are targeted for transmission enhancement, upgradation of load dispatch system (Phase-II), 220 kv Dadu Khuzdar D/C transmission line and 220kv grid station at Khuzdar, extension at G/S Dadu, Punjab transmission lines and grid stations strengthening project, national transmission lines and grid station project, 220 kv grid station Kasoowal, substation Ghakkar, 220 kv Ghazi grid Lahore substation (KFW) and 220 kv Ghazi grid station Lahore (EDCF loan).
According to the rules on re-employment beyond the age of superannuation, issued by the Establishment Division, re-employment is subject to following conditions: (i) non-availability of suitably qualified or experienced officers to replace the retiring officer; (ii) the officer is highly qualified person with distinction in his/ her professional field; (iii) re-employment does not cause a promotion blockage; and (iv) extension of the retiring officers for a specified period is in the public interest.
According to sources in the Ministry of Water and Power, Pepco's earlier management did not support rehiring of these officers, and this could be the reason for change of the MD in October, 2010.
One of the rehired officers, holding charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NTDC, has been given the additional charge of Pepco after the transfer of former Managing Director.
"What I can say is that all these officers do not meet the reemployment criteria notified by the Establishment Division," commented an official dealing with power sector. National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) is being headed by Rasool Khan Mehsum and General Manager of GSC (Grid System Construction) set up for both North and South of Pakistan and for Wapda Power Privatisation Organisation (WPPO) which exclusively deals with all old and new IPPs, rental power plants, captive power plants and others. "The situation is critical because rehiring of retired officers has created great resentment in the cadre, leading to unrest and inefficiency," said an official of Pepco.