GUWAHATI, Aug 13 � Leading citizens here want that the officiating Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGCL) Ajit Hazarika should be allowed to continue in the post till his superannuation in September 2012.
Moreover, personalities like former Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University Prof Nirmal Kumar Choudhury are of the opinion that Hazarika should be appointed as a regular CMD of the ONGCL by extending his term.
Hazarika, who is officiating as the ONGCL CMD in addition to his regular post of Director, Onshore, since February 1 last, is retiring in September next year. On August 1, his term as the officiating CMD was further extended for another three months.
Hazarika, though the senior most among the top ONGCL officers, was not interviewed by the Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) as his leftover service on the date of occurrence of the vacancy against the CMD�s post on January 31 last, was not two years.
It is the policy of the Government of India that a senior officer should have two years of left over service period on the date of occurrence of the vacancy against the ONGCL CMD.
But despite his holding the two most vital posts of the CMD and the Director, Onshore simultaneously, Hazarika has been maintaining a good performance record.
This however, has not made this senior most Assam-origin officer of the ONGCL free from the risk of facing an embarrassment. He is facing an uncertainty over his status.
If he is not allowed to continue in the post of the officiating CMD till his retirement, it is sure that he would be facing some embarrassment.
Dr Lakshminandan Bora, a former president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha and a former chairman of the State Pollution Control Board as well, has observed that Hazarika should be allowed to continue in the post of the ONGCL CMD till his superannuation considering the services he has rendered to this Central sector PSU.
Several other leading citizens, including Save Guwahati Build Guwahati president Dhiren Barua, have also urged that Hazarika should be allowed to continue in the post till his superannuation.
