S Narsing Rao expected to take charge as Coal India Chief soon

NEW DELHI: Chairman and Managing Director of Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL) S Narsing Rao is expected to take charge of Coal India by next week.

The New Chief will be appointed in the top job at a time when the Maharatna company is witnessing problems, consisting delays in regulatory nod to boost production, inability to address the rising demand from power sector along with the concerns by investors.

Rao got his appointment letter from the Coal Ministry during the early part of this month. Last week, he said that Andhra government has been making arrangements to relieve him. SCCL is a joint venture between the Centre and Andhra Pradesh.

The top post has been vacant after former Chairman and Managing Director Partha S Bhattacharyya retired on February 28, 2011. After his retirement, Centre allocated extra charge of CMD to Director Technical N C Jha.

After Jha retired on January 31, 2012, the charge was alloacted to Zohra Chatterji, Additional Secretary, Coal Ministry.

Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) in the past proposed the name of Rao, a 1986-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh Cadre, for heading the PSU.