Govt proposes bill to expand URA board to 7 members
Under the current law, the URA Board consists of five members, including a chairperson appointed from among the board members.
The government has submitted a bill to Parliament proposing amendments to the Utility Regulatory Authority (URA) Act, including increasing the number of members on the authority's Board of Directors from five to seven.
The bill was introduced at Wednesday's sitting of the People's Majlis by Hassan Waheed, PNC MP for Vilufushi constituency.
According to the bill, the amendments are intended to strengthen the administrative management of the Utility Regulatory Authority.
Under the current law, the URA Board consists of five members, including a chairperson appointed from among the board members.
The proposed amendment would increase the board's membership to seven by adding two new positions.
One of the additional members would be the URA Chief Executive. Under the bill, the Chief Executive would serve on the board without voting rights.
The second additional member would be a legal professional. The current legislation does not require the appointment of a board member with legal expertise.
The bill requires appointments to the two new positions to be made within 30 days of the amendments taking effect.
The proposed legislation also seeks to amend the term limits for board members. Under the existing Act, members may serve only one five-year term. The amendment would allow members who have not been removed from office to be reappointed for additional terms.
The URA Chief Executive is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the authority. Under the current framework, the Chief Executive is not a member of the Board of Directors and is responsible for implementing decisions taken by the board. The position is classified by the Civil Service Commission at the rank of Director General.
