Chief Secretary chairs UPCL’s 125th Board Meeting
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Oct: The 125th Board Meeting of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) was held at the Secretariat here today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan. During the meeting, the Chief Secretary directed that the Finance Secretary be included as an ex-officio member of the Board and recommended inclusion of a person possessing a technical background to strengthen the decision-making process.
Bardhan emphasised on the importance of financial prudence and stated that the budget for the next financial year must mandatorily receive the Board’s approval by February or March. He also stressed on the need for continuous efforts to reduce the cost of projects, reminding the Board that that lower-cost loans would be more beneficial for the corporation. He directed the officials to maintain regular coordination with financial institutions and lending agencies to secure favourable terms for the loans.
Bardhan further ordered the preparation of a comprehensive Vigilance Mechanism in all three power corporations of the state. He directed that a meeting be convened with the Vigilance Secretary to expedite the establishment of this mechanism. The CS also directed the UPCL to implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) from 1 January 2026 and to conduct quarterly performance reviews for all three power corporations. He said that such reviews would help assess progress on short-term targets, identify deficiencies, and determine goals for the subsequent quarter.
Placing emphasis on innovation and professional efficiency, the CS further advised the adoption of new technologies after due testing. He stated that any new technology should first be trialled at one or two locations before full-scale implementation to minimise potential losses in case of failure. He called upon all the power corporations to adopt a professional approach in their functioning and stressed that a detailed Techno-Economic Feasibility Test must be conducted before initiating any new project.
Among those present at the meeting included Principal Secretary, Power, R Meenakshi Sundaram, Independent Directors Parag Gupta and BP Pandey, Additional Secretary Dr Ahmad Iqbal, Managing Director, UPCL, Anil Yadav, Managing Director, UJVNL, Sandeep Singhal, Managing Director, PTCUL, PC Dhyani, and other senior officials.
