The panel had reportedly shortlisted N K Sharma, currently working as director (distribution), PSPCL; Baldev Singh Sran, retired PSPCL Chief Engineer, and Harbans Singh, Regional Executive Director of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for the post of chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). The interviews were held in the last week of April. It's almost a month since a screening-cum-selection committee, headed by chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh, had shortlisted these but the government has failed to take a final call. Sources said a powerful group of bureaucrats is lobbying for N K Sharma while politicians and power engineers are batting for Baldev Sran. "The file would have been cleared had the power portfolio not been assigned to newly inducted minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar," sources said. They said the minister is keen to appoint a person of his choice and had kept the file with him for long. He handed over the file to chief minister Capt Amarindeer Singh only after having a word with him about the shortlisted candidates. A Venu Prasad (IAS) currently holds the CMD's charge as former CMD K D Chaudhry was asked to put in his papers in March 2017.