Government okays ex-IAS officer's name for KERC chief's post

 With the government clearing the name of former IAS officer M K Shankaralinge Gowda (in pic) for the post of chairman of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), the ball is now in the court of the Governor to complete the process of appointment by administering the oath of office to Gowda.

The post had been lying vacant after M R Sreenivasa Murthy completed his term as KERC chairman on March 4. The State Energy department had constituted a search committee headed by a former High Court judge. 

The search committee, in May 2015, recommended three names - Narasimha Raju, V P Baligar and Gowda for the post.

Confirming this, Gowda told Deccan Herald on Sunday that he had received the official communication from the government regarding his appointment and the governor would have to administer the oath.

On previous three occasions, since the KERC came into existence in 2000, the government’s choice for the chairman’s post had been an IAS officer nearing retirement on superannuation. The three former chairmen Philipose Mathais, K P Pandey and M R Sreenivasamurthy, all IAS officers, had attained Super Time Scale when they were appointed chairman. This is the first time that a retired IAS officer has been considered for the post.