Coal India chief selection likely next week

Interview of selected candidates on Tuesday; few applicants compared to expectations

 

The government is likely to select the chairman and managing director (CMD) for Coal India Limited (CIL) by next week. The 12 shortlisted candidates are to appear for an interview with the Public Enterprises Selection Board on Tuesday.

Among the shortlisted candidates are directors from CIL, NMDC and two from Neyveli Lignite Limited. There is also a buzz, the CMD of Central Coalfields Ltd is one of the shortlisted candidates.

Apart from this, IAS officers from the governments of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Manipur have been selected for the interview.

There is also one selected application from an executive of the Indian Railway Traffic Service.

SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES

• Directors from Coal India Limited, NMDC and two from Neyveli Lignite Limited
   
• Name of the CMD of Central Coalfields Ltd is also doing the rounds
   
• IAS officers from the governments of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Manipur have also been selected
   
• There is also one selected application from an executive of the Indian Railway Traffic Service, Railway ministry

CIL,the country's almost monopolistic coal mining company, of "Maharatna" stature, is without a full time chairman and managing director for almost six months now. The previous CMD, S Narsing Rao, resigned from the post in May.

While the government advertised for the post aggressively, inviting applications from the private sector as well, it received lukewarm response. Government officials in the know said there was been negligible participation from the private sector, while the numbers of applications was too little compared to what was expected.

The government is trying to get a fulltime CMD for the company before the coal sector opens up for commercial mining, as allowed under the latest ordinance. The Supreme Court in its judgment dated September 24 cancelled all but four coal block allocations made to the private sector in the past two decades. It also asked CIL to take over these mines till these are re-allocated.

The CIL CMD is one of the most sought after positions in the country, with executives, IAS officers and other government officials in the fray in the past.

However, now marred with controversy and held to ransom by unions for reasons ranging from commercial mining to disinvestment, the post is usually considered as a crown of thorns.