Just before retirement, Coal India terminates board member

The company did not specify the reasons for his termination

State-run miner Coal India (CIL) has terminated the services of one of its board members,

 

R Mohan Das, who held the portfolio of director of personnel in the company. Along with the termination of his service in CIL, Das has also been removed from the board of its subsidiary companies. Das was scheduled to retire on May 31.

 

Although CIL did not cite any reason officially for the termination, sources in the company, aware of the development, said there were charges of corruption levelled against Das.

 

“A ministerial enquiry was going on against Das, which looked into some of the policies he had implemented,” a senior Coal India official said. 

 

While the company has cited the termination as a ministerial decision, sources in the coal ministry said the company had recommended Das’s removal to which it had consented.

 

"There were some policies which Das had implemented which hadn't gone well with some of the official in the company", a second Coal India official said.

 

Das, who now wants to retire to his hometown in south India, however, feels that his removal was the result of "wrong communication being sent by the company to the ministry".

 

The termination decision comes just two months ahead of the scheduled retirement of Das on May 31.

 

The decision to terminate Das comes in wake of a recruitment drive which Coal India has undertaken to replenish it's manpower.

 

However, a company official confirmed that the decision to remove Das is not connected to the ongoing recruitment process. 

 

A company official said for the time being, Coal India’s director of marketing, S. N. Prasad will look after the personnel department until the Centre finds a suitable candidate for the position.

 

Sector analysts are of the opinion that this move will not impact Coal India’s standing in the market or its business with its clients.  

 

"The government will handle it well. In case this issue escalates and other scams unfold, then it might impact the company but as of now, this decision will not have any major bearing on Coal India", an analyst said wishing not be named publicly.