B C TRIPATHI GETS 5-YEAR EXTENSION AS GAIL CHAIRMAN

The government has given GAIL India chairman and managing director B C Tripathi an additional five-year term as head of the state-owned gas utility.

Orders extending Bhuvan Chandra Tripathi's tenure until July 31, 2019, were issued on 10 Oct 2013, oil ministry officials said here. His current term was to expire on July 31, 2014.

Mr Tripathi, 53, is the only head of a big public sector company to have won an extension of service in recent times.
Directors, including chairmen, on the boards of public sector enterprises are appointed for five years or until the superannuation age of 60 years, whichever is earlier.

Upon completion of five years, an executive is eligible for an extension if there is time left for retirement.

The government had, however, denied extensions to Subir Raha of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), P Banerjee of GAIL, Sarthak Behuria of Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Ashok Sinha of Bharat Petroleum Corp.

Mr Tripathi, who is credited with turning GAIL into an aggressive gas marketing and transmission company, was considered the youngest chairman of a Navaratna PSU when he took over at GAIL at the age of 49 on August 1, 2009.