NEW DELHI: Achyut Ghatak on Friday assumed the position of Director (Technical) at Coal India Limited (CIL). He succeeds Dr. B Veera Reddy, who retired on August 31, 2024, upon reaching the age of superannuation. P M Prasad, Chairman of CIL, had been holding the additional charge of Director (Technical) during the interim period.
A 1989 graduate in Mining Engineering from the Government College of Engineering & Technology, Raipur, Ghatak possesses a First Class Mine Manager's Certificate of Competency. He began his career as a Junior Executive Trainee at Western Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of CIL, in 1989.
Ghatak brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served as Director (Technical/Research & Development) at the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), a CIL subsidiary, prior to this appointment. He also held the position of General Manager, Project Monitoring and Corporate Planning, at CIL's headquarters.
Ghatak's extensive experience in mechanized underground mining will be invaluable as CIL pursues its ambitious target of producing 100 million tonnes of coal from underground mines by FY 2029. He played a pivotal role in formulating and implementing CIL's underground vision plan and charting the roadmap for 1 billion tonnes of coal production.
“Ramping up the coal production, embracing the latest emerging technologies and strengthening the coal transportation system, especially the eco-friendly first mile connectivity projects and giving impetus to R&D will be the priority concerns”, said Ghatak.