Search panel selects S Krishnan as new PNGRB chairman

Former joint secretary (Exploration) J M Mauskars name was not considered as his application came in almost a week after the submission deadline of June 15.

Former petroleum secretary S Sundareshan failed to make the grade as the next chairman of downstream Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) with the Search Committee today selecting former fertiliser secretary S Krishnan to replace L Mansingh who attains 65 years of age on October 11.

Ousted from the Petroleum Ministry last month,Sundareshan who is now Heavy Industries secretary was the only candidate with overall experience of the petroleum sector with former Hindustan Petroleum chairman Arun Balakrishnan holding expertise only on petroleum products,not natural gas.

Others in the fray were former Road Transport secretary Brahm Dutt,current Overseas Indian Affairs secretary A Didar Singh and present Central Board of Direct taxes chairman Prakash Chandra along with existing PNGRB members Sudha Mahalingam (Distribution) and Y P C Dangay (Legal). Former joint secretary (Exploration) J M Mauskars name was not considered as his application came in almost a week after the submission deadline of June 15.

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The Search Committee headed by Planning Commission Member B K Chaturvedi,who has served as Petroleum Secretary,also selected Indian Oil Corps Director (Pipelines) KK Jha as PNGRB member (Technical) replacing B S Negi.

Krishnan,unlike Mansingh,would have a free hand to run PNGRB following the Supreme Courts order of May 12 that gave the Board power to authorise companies to build gas pipelines,supply retail CNG to vehicles and piped cooking gas to households in cities under Section 16 of the PNGRB Act. The apex court directed PNGRB to process the pending as well as new applications.