Freight corridor: Rlys nod to appoint five directors

Railway Ministry8217;s most ambitious and costliest project to date, the Dedicated Freight Corridor, finally appears to be on track

Railway Ministry8217;s most ambitious and costliest project to date, the Dedicated Freight Corridor, finally appears to be on track with Rail Bhavan giving it8217;s nod for the appointment of the managing director and four full-time functional directors to the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd DFCCIL. Over 104 officials have applied for the five posts which will be selected by the Search-cum-Selection Committee.

Sources told The Indian Express that V K Kaul, a 1971 batch Indian Railway Service of Engineers, has been cleared for the post of Managing Director of DFCCIL. Kaul is currently posted as General Manager in Central Railways. Those selected for the post of Directors are B B Saran, R K Sinha, P N Shukla and Madhuresh Kumar, all senior Railway officials. While Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has ratified the committee8217;s selection, Rail Bhavan is waiting for a nod from the Cabinet8217;s Appointments Committee.

Kaul had been credited for playing an important role in setting up of a new terminal at Hazrat Nizamuddin at a record time in 1976. He also won the minister8217;s award for meritorious performance in the process. Kaul8217;s major contribution to the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail line is also widely recognised. His stint with Nigerian Railway Corporation, when Indian Railway officials succeeded in putting the loss making Corporation back to profitability, also made Kaul emerge as a front runner for DFCCIL. Extensive training in Infrastructure Development and Management at Bradford University, London in 1990, also strengthened his credentials.

The four Directors will be incharge of project planning, infrastructure, operations and business development and finance. Of the four officials selected, B B Saran is currently posted as Vice-Chairman of the Rail Land Development Authority. While Madhuresh Kumar is the Chief Administrative Office in East Central Railways, P N Shukla is the Executive Director in Railway Board. R K Sinha had previously worked with Northeast Frontier Railways.