IOC Koyli unit to see top level reshuffling

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will transfer six top management officials from its Koyli-based Gujarat refinery shortly to other facilities in connection with the blast at the unit on October 29.

A new team will take charge at the Gujarat refinery in a week's time.

According to reports, the officials have been transferred following the explosion in the fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) and their failure in managing the situation.

K K Acharya, executive director (ED) of operations for refineries at Delhi head quarters, will replace B N Bankapur, ED by the end of current week. The Koyla refinery has received the final transfer orders from its head office.

The other senior officers who will be transferred include senior managers and manager from the production department.

The senior personnel manager of Gujarat Refinery R D Whakre is also being transferred to the Haldia facility of IOC.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the dedication ceremony of linear alkyl benzene plant (LAB) has been canceled. The Union minister for petroleum and energy, Manishankar Aiyer, was likely to dedicate the plant to the nation on December 11. IOC has commissioned the LAB plant under Bankapur as an ED for Rs 1,248 crore.

D V Oak, deputy general manager, human resources, said: "Transfer of senior officials are not unusual at IOC. K K Acharya would take charge as ED at the Gujarat refinery."

Bankapur was not available to comment. Currently, Acharya is an ED of operations at the Delhi head quarter of IOC. Earlier Acharya had worked at the Panipat refinery of IOC as a general manger of the technical division. Bankapur will be shifted to Delhi to take charge at the administrative office.

It is believed that Bankapur and his team have been transferred for not handling the situation effectively after the blast. Immediately after the blast Bankapur and his corporate communication team had kept denying any possibilities of causalities.

However, a police team at the time of debris removal recovered the decomposed body parts of two workers who were reportedly missing after the explosion.

Following complaints put up by a labour contractor and media reports, the police had positioned its personnel on duty at the time of the removal of the debris.

The police may take legal actions against IOC authorities in case the forensic science laboratory team proves human negligence as a cause for the blast. IOC officials are tight-lipped about the value of the damage in the blast.