India appoints additional CEO‚ director for PDA

KATHMANDU: The Indian Ministry of Water Resources has forwarded names of two officials who would be deputed as additional CEO and director (technical) at Pancheshwar Development Authority (PDA), which will oversee development of 5,600-megawatt Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, being built in far western part of the country. The names were forwarded almost six months after Nepal and India endorsed the statute of PDA, which paved the way for development of the mega project envisaged by Nepal-India Treaty Concerning the Integrated Development of the Mahakali River, including Sarda Barrage, Tanakpur Barrage and Pancheshwar Project around 17 years ago. “We received the names of two Indian officials, who will join PDA in the capacity of additional CEO and technical director, around three days ago. Both the officials are engineers and are currently serving the Indian central government,” Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Keshav Dhoj Adhikari said, without disclosing names of the officials. “The Indian water resources ministry has also said it will soon forward names of two other officials who’ll be deputed as directors at PDA.” While launching PDA’s statute in September, both the countries had agreed to form an executive committee comprising a CEO, an additional CEO and six directors. Back then, it was also agreed that the first CEO of PDA — who will be in office for a three-year term — would be a Nepali, while the additional CEO would be an Indian national. Likewise, of the six directors, three would be from Nepal and the other three, including finance director, would be from India. Since India has now appointed additional CEO and a director for PDA, Nepal should also finalise names for the posts of CEO and directors so that works at PDA could move ahead smoothly. It is essential to give a full shape to the executive committee at the earliest because it has to oversee the process of drafting the detailed project report (DPR).Earlier, Nepal and India had prepared their own DPRs. However, these reports need to be updated, in view of construction cost escalation, and changes in socio-economic and hydro-meteorological data. For this, Nepal and India have appointed WAPCOS, an Indian state-owned company, to prepare a new DPR of Pancheshwar. “During the process of DPR drafting, the executive committee needs to give inputs to the company and monitor and supervise its work. This will help the company to come up with a report, whose recommendations can actually be implemented,” Adhikari acknowledged. Yet, the government has not initiated the process of selecting the CEO and three directors.Earlier, both Nepal and India had agreed to depute government officials in the executive committee of PDA. - See more at: http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=India+appoints+additional+CEO%26sbquo%3B+director+for+PDA&NewsID=448228#sthash.r7C6ZVIQ.dpuf