Take-off countdown

The race for the top job at the merged Air India, now known as NACIL, is hotting up with some nine candidates in the fray. While interviews are set to begin on March 6, which is also Maha Shivratri, the buzz at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan is that a ‘Shiv Bhakt’ is likely to bag the CMD’s job. With IAS officers Arvind Mayaram, Joint Secretary Department of Economic Affairs, and Vishwapati Trivedi, Joint MD, NACIL, as top contenders, there is a growing pressure to treat fairly the three internal candidates without the IAS tag who are in the shorlist. However, most agree that the battle is futile. If not for anything the interview panel comprises IAS officers, all top secretaries in the government. And for all the speculation on who is the Shiv Bhakt, the fact is that this being a holiday, it was the only day when the Cabinet Secretary was slightly free.