Coal India's wait for a full-time chairman appears to have come to an end with the appointment of Zohra Chatterji, though in the capacity of an acting chairman-cum-managing director.
Chatterji, who got appointed as a part-time official director of Coal India in September, shortly after joining the ministry as an additional secretary, would be succeeding Nirmal Chandra Jha upon his retirement at the end of this month. Her name is believed to have been recommended to the appointment committee of the Cabinet and she is expected to take charge effective February 1.
Jha, Coal India’s technical director, has been the acting chairman of Coal India since the last full-time chairman, Partha Bhattacharyya, retired a year back.
An Indian Administrative Service officer of 1979 batch from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Chatterji has earlier held the post of joint secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry, from 2007 to 2010, when she was promoted as additional secretary to the women and child development ministry as member secretary to the National Commission for Women.
Among others, company insiders such as TK Lahiri, the chairman of subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal Ltd, whose name was cleared by the Chief Vigilance Commission recently, and Nihar Banerjee, chief vigilance officer of Coal India, were also being considered for the coveted position.
The announcement comes as a major relief for Coal India, at a time when it is looking to acquire assets overseas. The company will soon start negotiations with provincial government of Limpopo province of South Africa and has called a board meeting in the last week of this month on this.
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