B Sairam Recommended as Next Chairman of Coal India

24 Sep 2025 CW Team

The government headhunter, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), has recommended B Sairam, current Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL), as the next Chairman of coal giant Coal India Limited (CIL).

The new Coal India CMD is expected to tackle operational challenges, including increasing coal production and improving evacuation, as the government pushes to boost domestic output and reduce reliance on coal imports. NCL is a subsidiary of CIL.

PESB confirmed the recommendation on its website, noting that Sairam was selected following interviews with ten other candidates, including the CMDs of Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd (MECL) and Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL), another CIL arm.

The current CIL Chairman, P M Prasad, is set to retire on 31st October, with the final appointment to follow formal approval procedures.

With over 34 years of experience in the coal sector, Sairam has held key roles such as Director (Technical) at CCL and Executive Director at Coal India. He brings extensive expertise in mine planning and expansion, operations, sustainable mining, logistics, digitisation, and regulatory affairs.

Coal India, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of domestic coal output, is targeting a production of 875 million tonnes in 2025-26, with a dispatch target of 900 million tonnes to meet rising energy demands. This reflects substantial growth from the 781.07 million tonnes produced in 2024-25, as the company implements strategies to increase dispatch from its mines.

Infrastructure Urban

05 May 2026

Meghalaya And Assam Hold Talks To End Transport Stoppages In Garo Hills

Meghalaya and Assam have opened talks aimed at ending recent stoppages of commodity transport in the Garo Hills, officials said. The deputy chief minister, in charge of home affairs, reported that both state governments are coordinating to resolve disruptions and to restore normal movement of goods. He acknowledged that misunderstandings may have contributed to the incidents and that clarification between administrative units is under way. The discussions are intended to produce practical arrangements that will allow consignments to move without hindrance while respecting local procedures. The..

Kochi Metro Records 1.375 mn Rise In Passengers In FY26

Kochi Metro recorded a marginal rise in ridership in the financial year 2025-26, carrying 1.375 mn more passengers than in the previous year. The service carried 36.8 million (mn) passengers in 2025-26 compared with 35.5 mn in 2024-25, representing a year-on-year increase of 3.9 per cent. The growth was described as distributed rather than concentrated in isolated spikes. A month-wise analysis shows steady gains across quarters. In the first quarter, ridership increased from 8.57 mn to 8.84 mn, while the second quarter rose from 9.13 mn to 9.51 mn. These trends indicated broad-based improvemen..

Ghaziabad Plans 16km Metro Link To Delhi Via Hindon Airport

Ghaziabad authorities are pursuing a 16 km metro link to Delhi that will run via Hindon Airport, and a detailed project report is under way. The plan is intended to improve connectivity between Ghaziabad and the national capital and to provide an interchange with the airport. Officials said the project is being studied to assess alignments, station locations and cost estimates ahead of formal approvals and tendering. The announcement follows the inauguration of the Delhi?Faridabad metro extension, which will offer hassle free travel for around 0.2 mn daily commuters between the national capita..