The Hindu Business Line : Govt yet to clear names of new MDs for 3 SAIL plants

THE Union Government is yet to clear the names of the new managing directors of three of the four integrated steel plants of Steel Authority of India Ltd. As on December 31, the managing directors of Bokaro, Durgapur and Rourkela are scheduled to retire.

Though the successors had already been decided upon, the names are yet to be cleared by the Union Steel Ministry.

Mr V.K. Srivastava, ED (Works) of Bokaro Steel Plant, is to succeed Mr U.P Singh as MD. Similarly, Mr V.K. Gulati, ED (Personnel), will succeed Dr S. Bhattacharya as the MD of Durgapur Steel Plant.

At the Rourkela Steel Plant, Mr B.N Singh, currently ED of SAIL's Raw Materials Division, and based in Kolkata, will succeed Dr Sanak Misra as the new MD.

Sources said the names of these three candidates are yet to be cleared by the Union Steel Ministry. Once this is done, the matter will go to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for final approval.

"It seems most unlikely that the whole process would be over by the end of this year. Hence, it appears that the existing managing directors may not be able to hand over the respective charges to the successors," sources said.

These three steel plants, whose aggregate annual crude steel capacity is around 8 million tonnes, account for nearly 70 per cent of SAIL's total production.

Even the top brass of SAIL appeared clueless on the issue. "We are waiting for the signals from the Union Steel Ministry," a top official told Business Line.

Sources ruled out any extension for the existing three MDs, but added that a board member who is based in Delhi and looking after corporate affairs of SAIL, may be given additional charge.

"That was the practice earlier. It might be followed this time too. Three directors would be given charge of the three units but the MD of Bhilai Steel Plant would not be given any additional charge," sources said.