Tapan Chand Appointed Vedanta Resident Director For Odisha, Chhattisgarh
By Sukant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar: The Vedanta Limited appointed Dr Tapan Kumar Chand as its Resident Director of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Chand, who is a former CMD of Nalco and currently Independent Director of Vedanta-owned Bharat Aluminium Company (Balco) assumed his new office on Friday.
Dr Chand has a successful track record of performance in coal, steel and aluminium sector. He will look after operationalisation of three coal blocks that the Vedanta has recently won in auction in Odisha with annual raising of 18 million tonnes and bauxite security of 22 million tonnes per annum, a release from Vedanta stated.
He will also oversee the proposed Aluminium Park projects in Jharsuguda and Chhattisgarh.
This high-level appointment comes in the wake of the Vedanta pushing for emerging as the second largest producer of aluminium in the world with 3-MT aluminium and 6-MT alumina capacities. At present, the Vedanta is the largest producer of aluminium in India.
With the aluminium demand likely to be doubled in next five years, the Vedanta’s plan is timely to meet the country’s demand for aluminium and ensuring AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
Since Dr Chand is known for innovative and empathetic CSR schemes taking the stakeholders on board, the Vedanta is likely to have a transformational community engagement approach in these areas, a welcome change for locals in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
During the tenure of Chand, the Nalco got complete raw material security with extension of the lease of the Panchpatpali bauxite mines, allocation of the Pattangi bauxite mines and coal blocks.
Industry bodies, professionals, sector analysts and people from different quarters in Odisha and stakeholders in Chhattisgarh have welcomed Dr Chand’s appointment.
