The Centre has appointed IAS officer Shilpa Sachin Shinde as the new Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS), days after the removal of Rajni Kant Agrawal from the post.
An official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) stated that the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has cleared the appointment of Shinde, a 2006-batch IAS officer from the Union Territories cadre, for a five-year term.
Traditionally, the CMD of WAPCOS was selected by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) before receiving ACC approval. However, sources said the Ministry of Jal Shakti proposed a direct ACC appointment in this case.
On September 3, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil invoked special powers to divest Agrawal of his charge, citing complaints of irregularities in WAPCOS&rsquo; functioning. 
Allegations included non-payment of employee allowances, delays in government project execution, and irregular payments to vendors and contractors. Agrawal, who had been appointed in October 2021 for a five-year tenure, was due to continue until October 2025.
Following Agrawal&rsquo;s removal, Pankaj Kapoor, Director (Finance) and the senior-most official at WAPCOS, was given additional charge. However, Kapoor is set to retire on September 28.
According to sources, many of the complaints against WAPCOS were linked to construction projects, an area into which the consultancy firm had expanded significantly in recent years. They added that nearly 75% of WAPCOS&rsquo; current order book is construction-related, despite consultancy being its core area of expertise.
The company has also faced criticism for alleged delays in GST payments, resulting in penalties, as well as irregular disbursements to suppliers.

IAS officer Shilpa Shinde takes WAPCOS charge

Centre appoints IAS officer Shilpa Shinde as new CMD of WAPCOS after Agrawal’s removal

IAS Officer Shilpa Shinde Appointed CMD of WAPCOS

Centre appoints IAS officer Shilpa Shinde as new CMD of WAPCOS after Agrawal’s removal

September 14, 2025 | 15:18 IST