Patiala, Dec. 24 -- Amid growing opposition from officials and engineers of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) against the appointment of a "junior-level IAS officer" as the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD), the Punjab government has amended the eligibility rules for the post, diluting the qualification criteria for the top position in the power utility. Earlier, the post of the CMD could be held by an IAS officer of the rank of principal secretary or financial commissioner, whether serving or retired. However, under the amended rules notified by the department of power on December 22, an IAS officer of the rank of secretary - serving or retired - can now be appointed as the CMD. The amendment has reportedly been made in the backdrop of strong opposition from engineers and employee associations. The PSEB Engineers' Association on Tuesday wrote to the chief minister, demanding immediate withdrawal of the amended rules. The association alleged that the change violates the tripartite agreement signed between the Punjab government, the management of the PSPCL and Punjab State Power Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), and employee unions and associations. On October 30, the Punjab government had replaced senior IAS officer AK Sinha, then principal secretary, with Basant Garg, a 2005-batch IAS officer, as the new CMD of the PSPCL. Ajay Pal Singh Atwal of the PSEB Engineers' Association said that any modification in the qualifications and experience prescribed for CMDs or directors can be made only after consultation and mutual understanding with the signatories to the agreement. "The PSPCL and PSTCL are highly technical organisations. The CMD should be a full-time technocrat from the power sector. It is not practically possible for a secretary-level IAS officer to devote the focused attention that the corporation requires," he said. The association further pointed out that at the time of restructuring, the power utilities were envisaged to be headed by experienced technocrats. Over the years, however, the eligibility criteria were gradually diluted - from technocrats to additional chief secretary-level IAS officers, then to principal secretaries, and now to secretary-level officers....