Anshuman Das assumes additional charge of Nalco CMD

Anshuman Das assumes additional charge of Nalco CMD Anshuman Das, commercial director of National Aluminium Co Ltd (Nalco), has also been given the additional charge of Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of the public sector aluminium manufacturer.

In its recent filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, Nalco said that Das assumed the additional charge yesterday after a Mines Ministry order.

After taking charge of Nalco, Mr. Das said he would give priority to remove disruptions in projects like Rs 16,000 crore aluminium smelter project in Orissa and Rs 4,000 crore alumina refinery in Gujarat. He also said that the greenfield mining project at Patangi would be expedited so that the performance of the company's smelter and coal complex could be enhanced.

Mr. Das is replacing current incumbent BL Bagra, who was removed from the top position after his alleged involvement in a lime scam worth Rs 15 crore.

Ex Nalco CMD C R Pradhan expressed displeasure over the fact that many CMDs could not complete their tenure due to corruption in the ministry. He pointed out that the Union Ministry of Mines didn't allow CMDs at the Asia's largest integrated aluminium producer to complete their five-year tenure in the dace stating 2001.

Nalco was operating without a full time chairman since February 27 last year, when the CMD A K Srivastava was detained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case. Since then, Mr. Bagra was heading the Asia's largest integrated aluminium manufacturer as its acting CMD.