'Power sector reforms on the right track'

By S.K. Ramoo

BANGALORE, OCT. 10. A consultant has been appointed for hastening the process of privatisation of the power distribution sector and soon global tenders will be called for the selection of the private agencies, the Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, declared on Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview on the occasion of his government completing two years in office, he said though the power sector reforms were a bit slow, it was on the right track. The Government was determined to avoid the pitfalls during the privatisation process. It had made certain commitments to the World Bank and had signed an MoU with the Union Power Ministry on the issue.

The Government could not continue providing `crutches' to the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) by way of subsidies and massive annual grants. The KPTCL should recover the full cost of transmission and distribution. Both the KPTCL and the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission should be ``fiercely independent'' of government interference.

Mr. Krishna said the State Lokayukta Act would be amended shortly in order to make it function more effectively and put down corruption at all levels. A cabinet sub-committee was studying the proposals submitted by the Lokayukta for amendment of the Act.

Both the Civil Service Rules and the Cadre and Recruitment Rules, which were not very helpful in curbing corruption, would also be amended. A suitable legislation would be enacted to weed out both corrupt and inefficient government employees.

Although the VRS contemplated by the Centre was an innovative exercise to reduce the number of its employees, the Karnataka Government had adopted other avenues to prune the size of its workforce. He was not in favour of ``unsettling'' the top echelons of the bureaucracy by frequent transfers. He admitted that the deputy commissioners, who headed the district administration, should have a minimum tenure of two years at one place.

The Government was committed to providing adequate powers and finances to the three-tier panchayat bodies so that they could function effectively. If there were inadequacies and shortfalls, they required to be corrected.

He was opposed to the concentration of power in the Vidhana Soudha. The current system of administration should give way to devolution of power to the panchayats. The basic need a village or local rural communities should be decided by the panchayats concerned.

Mr. Krishna admitted that neglect of tourism promotion was an area of weakness of the Government. So, the Government would work towards providing tourism infrastructure in all major tourism destinations. He declared that he would shortly be convening a meeting of major hotel groups and private tourism promoters to give a major impetus to tourism promotion. Karnataka had to showcase its rich culture and varied tourist attractions to lure both international and domestic visitors.

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Section  : Southern States
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