Chandigarh, July 28 -- The top post at Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) continues to lie vacant nearly six months after the retirement of chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Baldev Singh Sran due to prolonged administrative inaction. Sran retired on February 6 after completing his extended term, with the Punjab government initially promising to appoint a regular CMD soon. However, the selection process has been stalled, leaving Ajoy Kumar Sinha, principal secretary (power), to hold the additional charge in the interim. Sinha, too, is set to retire in January. The delay has triggered criticism from power engineers, employee associations and industry experts. A senior PSPCL official, speaking anonymously, claimed the delay is deliberate, pointing out that despite assurances during the power corporation's bifurcation that a technocrat would head PSPCL, successive governments have instead appointed IAS officers. This, the official added, appears to be a strategy to retain control over the post. Earlier this year, the state government invited applications for the CMD position, and more than two dozen senior engineers, including frontrunners DS Grewal (director, distribution), Harjit Singh (director, generation) and RS Saini (PSERC member), applied. Despite the completion of the application process in February, the appointment remains pending. Sources in the power department revealed that while the file moved to the chief secretary's office in April, the selection committee has not convened since. The PSEB Engineers' Association has expressed alarm over the delay, urging the state government to act swiftly. In repeated communications to the chief minister and the power minister, the association emphasised the urgency of appointing a full-time CMD, warning that delays could erode operational efficiency and undermine public trust. "We demand that the post of CMD be filled immediately through a transparent process. The utility is facing massive challenges in generation, transmission and tariff management," said association president Jasbir Singh Dhiman in a recent letter to the government. Despite repeated attempts, power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO could not be contacted for comments. A senior official from the chief minister's office confirmed the process is underway but declined to provide a timeline for the appointment....