Bhubaneswar, July 26: Chairperson of Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) Satya Prakash Nanda is set to retire on October 12 and the hunt for his successor has already begun.

The OERC top post is usually kept for senior bureaucrats as it involves taking decision on the contentious issue of power tariff. This time also it will be no different, sources in the government said.

Apart from professional acumen, the eligibility yardstick for the OERC post includes high integrity and proximity to chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Two senior bureaucrats - Upendra Nath Behera and Gokul Chandra Pati - have emerged frontrunners for the post because of their vast experience and unflinching loyalty to Naveen.

While Behera is the additional chief secretary to the chief minister, Pati retired in November as the chief secretary. Incidentally, Behera is also in the race for the post of chief secretary.

The OERC top job has a five-year tenure and a monthly salary of Rs 80,000 in addition to other allowances.

Sources said government was keen to appoint a man of high integrity and loyalty as the OERC would have to take a number of decisions in the power sector, including increase in power tariff and off-loading government shares in Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu). The Cesu is responsible for the power supply in the coastal districts.

Official sources said the decision on power tariff hike has been put on hold as the incumbent Nanda's tenure is going to end in October.

The state-owned Grid Corporation of Odisha (Gridco), Odisha Power Generation Corporation and the Odisha Hydro Power Generation Corporation have already filed review petitions before the OERC for revision of power tariff.

"The government has made it clear that there will be no increase in power tariff now. The decision will be taken after a new chairman takes command," said a senior official of the energy department.

That the new chairperson will have a tough job in hand was evident today with power consumer forum staging a demonstration outside the OERC office against a possible tariff hike.

As far as offloading of government shares in the Cesu is concerned, the OERC has already invited proposals from those willing to take part in the competitive bidding process to purchase the electricity distribution and supply utility. The date of submission of bids is August 25.

"The OERC enjoys the status of a quasi-judicial body and government has a little say in its day-to-day affairs. Keeping this in mind, the government will appoint a person with whom it will be easy to communicate and co-ordinate on sensitive issues such as power tariff hike," a senior government official said.

Besides the post of chairperson, the government will also appoint a member of the OERC. The post of the member will fall vacant on August 1. The commission comprises one chairman and two members.

Though the government has begun the search for the OERC chairperson, several commissions continue to remain headless. Close to two and half years have passed after Odisha passed the Lokayukta Act, but the process of appointing the Lokayukta is yet to begin. The Assembly had passed the Lokayukta Act in February 2014 shortly after enactment of the central law.

Similarly, the post of the chief information commissioner is also lying vacant even though the government has appointed two of its members - Laxmi Naryan Pattnaik and Sashiprava Bindhani - last year.