The UGVCL promotion controversy has intensified after the utility’s former Additional General Manager for Human Resources, A.C. Prajapati, alleged that two Personnel Officer posts were created in 2018 without prior government approval and that promotions were subsequently granted against them.
The allegations were made in correspondence sent to the Energy Department’s principal secretary, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL), UGVCL and the Prime Minister’s Office grievance platform, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar. Prajapati has sought an independent investigation by impartial officials and questioned why no clear inquiry order has been issued despite his representations.
The dispute relates to the creation of additional Personnel Officer positions in UGVCL’s human resources department. In a response cited in the report, UGVCL’s current AGM-HR, V.H. Asari, said the posts had been approved by the competent authority in 2018, taking into account the organisation’s established rules, procedures and delegation of powers.
Prajapati rejected that response in a letter dated October 15, 2026. He alleged that Asari’s reply, issued on October 7, sought to mislead the organisation, the government and society. Prajapati described the creation of the posts and the promotions granted against them as a serious error and said the matter had been discussed in meetings involving HR heads of the power companies.
The former AGM-HR also referred to a GUVNL communication dated April 1, 2021. According to his letter, the communication required action against posts created without prior approval and the withdrawal of charges or promotions granted against such positions. Prajapati alleged that similar action had been taken in other power companies, including PGVCL and DGVCL, but not in UGVCL.
He further alleged that, after his retirement, the issue was not corrected and that a Personnel Officer was promoted to Deputy General Manager from an expired selection list. The report presents this as part of Prajapati’s wider contention that later decisions failed to address the original irregularity.
The allegations have implications beyond an internal personnel dispute because UGVCL is a state-owned electricity distribution company serving north Gujarat. Questions over how sanctioned posts are created, who can approve them and whether promotions comply with company and government rules concern the accountability of a public utility and the consistency of administrative procedures across Gujarat’s power companies.
The material cited in the report does not establish that an independent investigation has been ordered or that the allegations have been conclusively proved. It records competing positions from the former and current HR officials, while the report says no clear public order for an impartial inquiry was evident at the time of publication. The next formal step would be clarification from UGVCL, GUVNL or the Energy Department on the approval records for the two posts and compliance with the April 1, 2021 instruction.
