Sunil Mitra, who recently retired as the Union finance secretary, may take charge as the new chairman of Haldia Petrochemicals (HPL), East India’s biggest petrochemical company. According to sources, the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, which itself is a stakeholder in the firm, is keen to rope in Mitra at HPL. It has also made an offer to him.
“He was approached by the state for the HPL top job,” confirmed an official source close to the development. Mitra, 1975-batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, took charge as the finance secretary on May 31 this year after Sushma Nath retired. HPL was on a look out for a new chairman after Tarun Das, former director general of the Confederation of Indian Industry, stepped down as the chairman of the company soon after the Trinamool Congress-led government took charge of Writers’ Building last month.
Purnendu Chatterjee-led The Chatterjee Group (TCG) and the West Bengal government are the key shareholders in HPL. TCG was fighting a legal battle with the state government, the other major shareholders, over the control of the company.
A court order on it is expected to come after the summer vacation in the Supreme Court. When asked about the offer made to Mitra, the state industries and commerce minister Partha Chatterjee said, “It is something which the HPL board has to decide. But since Mitra is retiring and if he is interested, the state would be happy to see him in such a position.”
