DIBRUGARH, Aug 19 - Ashok Kumar Singh, currently General Manager (Projects) at Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Limited (BCPL), the owner company of the Rs 10,000-crore Assam Gas Cracker Complex, has been selected today by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to be the next Managing Director of the company. He will succeed Prabhu Nath Prasad on March 1 next year, subject to subsequent clearances.
All depends on the developments in the next two months at the Department of Personnel and Training, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister himself. Because, just recently, though green flagged by the PESB, the others mentioned here did not approve of Rupshikha Saikia Borah to be the Chairman and Managing Director of the Oil India Limited.
With four Assamese candidates, it was largely felt that someone from within them would be selected today to head the BCPL, which is a product of the six-year-long Assam Agitation, where 855 natives of the State had given up their lives to save Assam from a huge illegal influx from Bangladesh. Of the four native candidates at today�s interview, the senior-most was a Scheduled Caste person with around 20 years� experience in gas cracker plants. Against this, AK Singh barely has any gas cracker experience, although he is believed to be a good task master. PESB Chairman and retired Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth and Assam Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia were in the panel of interviewers that conducted the day-long interviews today. Altogether nine candidates appeared: AK Singh, Sanjeev Medhi, PK Mati, Dr D Buragohain, A Khaund, GC Sikder, GN Sarma, UT Kanzarkar and GK Singh.
