Coal news and updates

Sutirtha Bhattacharya set to be new CIL CMD

November 19: Sutirtha Bhattacharya, a 1985 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) since May 10, 2012, is set to become the new chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of Coal India Ltd (CIL).

Bhattacharya’s name was recommended for the post of CIL’s CMD by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) after interviewing a total of 12 candidates, including three from CIL, in New Delhi on November 18.

Bhattacharya may take charge in the next 1-2 months after the recommendation is vetted by the appointment committee and his name is cleared by the vigilance department, an official from the Ministry of Coal said.

The post of Coal India’s CMD was lying vacant since June this year after S Narsing Rao resigned. An advertisement for the vacancy was given at the beginning of October while the last date for submission of application was October 29, 2014.

As CMD of CIL, the main challenge for Bhattacharya will be to ensure that the company increases coal production to 1 billion tons per annum by 2019-20 as planned by the government and overcome the odds created by lack of evacuation facilities, delays in land acquisition and in getting statutory clearances.

Increasing production from underground mines, maintaining quality of the coal supplied and meeting growing demand from power sector consumers are some of the tasks that lie ahead of the new CMD.

Former Chairman of CIL P S Bhattacharyya said in an SMS to ICMW that selection of Sutirtha Bhattacharya’s is a “good choice”.

Bhattacharya started his career as joint collector of Kurnool district and Srikakulam district and later on became Collector & District Magistrate of Prakasham district in Andhra Pradesh.

Besides having worked as chief executive officer of Kolkata-headquartered Jute Manufacturers Development Council, a statutory body of the Government of India, carrying out domestic and international promotion of jute products, Bhattacharya was also Commissioner Of Agriculture, Industries and Secretary (Projects) in the irrigation and CAD department.

He also served as CMD of AP Transco and the Principal Secretary in the energy, infrastructure and investment departments of Andhra Pradesh before taking over as CMD of SCCL.