Tamil Nadu has appointed senior IAS officer Radhakrishnan as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission, filling the commission’s top post after a period in which all three key positions had become vacant at different times. Two new members, Maskarnes and legal member Muthu Saradha, have also been appointed and have taken charge at the commission’s office in Guindy, Chennai.
The commission is responsible for determining electricity tariffs in the state and monitoring the functioning of the Tamil Nadu electricity utility. It also has powers comparable to those of a court, and operates with a chairperson and two members. The appointments restore that three-member structure.
The legal member’s position had been vacant since March, while the other member’s post had been vacant since June, according to the report. The earlier chairman, Manivannan, resigned at the end of June after the change in government in May and instructions from the new administration.
To select new occupants for all three positions, the Tamil Nadu government constituted a selection committee in July. The committee was headed by retired judge Theeka Raman and included the Tamil Nadu chief secretary and the chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. It subsequently invited applications from several candidates.
The selection committee met at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat on the 15th of this month. Following that meeting, Radhakrishnan was appointed chairman, Maskarnes was appointed a member and Muthu Saradha was appointed the legal member. All three have assumed office at the commission’s Guindy headquarters.
The appointments bring experience from across the state’s electricity administration and legal system. Radhakrishnan is a former chairman of the electricity board, while Maskarnes previously served as a director of the electricity distribution corporation. Muthu Saradha is a retired district judge.
Radhakrishnan is a senior IAS officer holding the rank of additional chief secretary to the Tamil Nadu government. He had been due to retire at the end of this month when he was appointed to the regulatory commission.
The commission’s leadership is significant for electricity consumers, the state utility and other participants in the power sector because tariff decisions and sector oversight are handled through the regulatory body. The newly appointed team will now oversee the commission’s statutory functions from its Chennai office.
