LAHORE, Feb 5: At a time when the country is reeling under crippling loadshedding, adhocism is at its worst in the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), with six of the eight chief executives of distribution companies on extension after their retirement.

The top officials, who have been continuing with their jobs for long now, were given extension “till further orders”.

The list of ad hoc employees is led by none other than Wapda Member (Power) Mian Fazal Ahmad who was given the additional charge of Pepco managing director in May last and has neither been replaced nor confirmed since then. And although intense jockeying for the position is going on, all those in the race are either retired employees or serving on extension.

Of the eight distribution companies, six are led by retired employees, blocking the promotion cycle and generating a sense of frustration among the employees. Such a state of affairs is adding to the consumers’ problems, exposing them to worst kind of loadshedding.

Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) Chief Executive Akram Arain is in the third year of extension. Similarly, Rana Muhammad Ashraf, CE of the Gujranwala Electric Supply Company (Gepco) retired in February last and has since been working on an ad hoc basis.

Guftar Anjum of Multan Electric Supply Company (Mepco) retired last month, but has been told to continue till further orders. Kareem Bakhsh Qureshi of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) is another beneficiary of what the Pepco employees call “ills of political government.”

Ahmad Saeed Akhtar of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) got retired in December 2008, but is still occupying the seat of the chief executive and so is Muhammad Shafiq Khattak of Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco).

Besides the chief executives, Wapda Power Planning Office General Manager Rana Muhammad Amjad is on extension till further orders and Abdul Qadeer Khan, a retired GM of the National Power Control Centre (NPCC), has been hired for one-year consultancy by the centre.

An official of Pepco, who sought anonymity owing to sensitivity of the issue, said all these posts are of grade 20 and only the top office could give extension to them. “The Ministry of Water and Power prepares the summary and the establishment division, after due approval from the top office, grants extension. All the gentlemen managed their extensions from there and the Pepco has nothing to do with it,” he claimed.

“One should keep in mind that these are not fresh appointments made on an ad hoc basis, but retired employees have been given extensions,” he said. He added that the company had identified 20 engineers for these posts, but all of them were suffering due to political connections of those occupying high offices.

“It is not only current extensions which is an issue, but two chief executives (of Lesco and Fesco) are also being tipped for managing director of Pepco, which may be notified in the next one or two weeks.

“In these critical times, the managing director of Pepco should be someone who is a great utility man, is forward looking and could introduce new technologies,” commented a former member (power). “Trying old hands, who could not perform during their regular stint at Wapda, hardly makes sense. It could be beneficial politics, but would prove to be worst power management,” he remarked.