ROURKELA: After a delay of five months, the Public Enterprises Selection Board on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, selected Executive Director (ED) of SAIL Atanu Bhowmik for the vacant position of Director in-charge of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).
The Board interviewed six EDs of SAIL including 56-year-old Bhowmik, one general manager of RINL and a senior general manager of MECON. After finalising Bhowmik, it recommended his name to the Ministry of Steel. The post of Director in-charge (earlier Chief Executive Officer) in RSP has been lying vacant since August 1 this year.
Bhowmik was born in Rourkela and went to St. Paul’s School here. He graduated in metallurgy engineering at National Institute of Technology-Rourkela in 1988.
General secretary of Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI) Bimal Bisi, however, criticised the Board under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and attributed the delay in the selection of the new Director in-charge to lack of planning and lackadaisical approach.
It would require a minimum of two more months for Bhowmik to physically take charge due to the time-consuming formalities like approval by the Steel Ministry and clearances from agencies like CBI and CVC. “The post of RSP chief demands in-depth technological knowledge, high managerial and administrative skills to deal with the key stakeholders including government bodies, trade unions and political outfits. Physical absence of RSP chief for months hinders decision making at the plant level,” Bisi claimed.
After RSP CEO Dipak Chattraj retired on July 31, the Director in-charge of Bokaro Steel Plant has been in an additional charge of RSP from August 1.