Both UTs to have one member each in Commission
SRINAGAR: The administration of Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh will appoint chairman of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission(JERC) by consensus.
Under the Central Electricity Act-2003, the chairman shall be appointed by consensus from the participating Union Territories. “The Joint Commission shall consist of 1 Member from each of the participating States and Union Territories and the Chairperson shall be appointed from amongst the Members by consensus, failing which by rotation,” reads the Act.
According to the law governing JERC appointments, the selection panel headed by a former High Court Judge shall recommend a panel of two names for every vacancy referred to it.
As exclusively reported by news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories will have a joint electricity regulatory commission and its headquarters shall be located in the same city as that of the office of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section 5 of section 83 of Central Electricity Act, 2003, the Central Government hereby constitutes a Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the Union
Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with effect from the date of publication of this notification in the Gazette of India,” reads a notification issued by Union Power Ministry.
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission of the erstwhile state of J&K was winded up days before J&K and Ladakh UTs came into existence. The Commission was abolished because the law under which it was created was repealed by the Parliament on August 5. Before its abolition, the commission was headed by Lokesh Jha and its members were Muhammad Rafi Andrabi and Ajay Gupta.