CIL ex-chairman is next MD of Haldia Petrochem

Former chairman of Coal India Ltd Partha Bhattacharyya is set to take over as managing director of the Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL). 

The outgoing managing director of the company, Swapan Bhowmik, said he was laying down office on 31 March at the end of his term, and Bhattacharyya would replace him as the new managing director. 

The search committee of the company headed by HPL chairman Tarun Das finalised his name for the top job today afternoon and sent an official circular to all the stakeholders.

Bhattacharyya has been verbally told about the decision that was pending for the last few months. He is expected to take charge from 1 April. "However, he is to obtain approval from the coal ministry," Bhoumik said in Kolkata today. 

Bhattacharyya, who superannuated from CIL on 28 February, was a top contender for the post along with former chairman of Hindustan Petroleum Corp M B Lal. 

Earlier, Bhattacharyya had said that his candidature would not be a problem since coal and petrochemicals were unrelated business areas.