CIAL MD post: Bhushan and Behera frontrunners
KOCHI: Former chief secretary E K Bharat Bhushan and incumbent state police chief Loknath Behera are the frontrunners for the post of managing director of Cochin International Airport Ltd.The post of CIAL MD fell vacant after V J Kurian, who had played a decisive role in shaping the airport’s growth, stepped down earlier this month after 19 years at the helm. “As per the information, Bharat Bhushan and Loknath Behera are the frontrunners for the post. The government wants to appoint a person who has the calibre to take the airport to new heights.
Their names are under the consideration of the government,” said a top source. Sources reckoned 66-year-old Bharat Bhushan, a 1979 batch IAS officer, has the edge over Behera as he has vast experience in aviation as he had been the director-general of civil aviation from December 2010 to July 2012 and had handled a series of cases including those against Kingfisher Airlines and fudging of records by flying schools. Behera, who is in the good books of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is also a close contender for the coveted post. After Behera lost out in the race for the CBI director post, he may pull the strings for a key post-retirement job, said sources.
“The government is particular about giving a respectable post to Behera. Since 2016, former DGP Raman Srivastava has been the police advisor to the CM. There is speculation that Behera may be considered for the new police advisor post. In that case, Bharat Bhushan will be the top pick of the government for the CIAL MD post.” the source added. Though TNIE tried to contact Behera and Bharat Bhushan, they were unavailable for comment. At present, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas has been given the additional charge as MD of CIAL.