B. Ashok's parting gift to Gujarat
IndianOil chairman B.
Ashok, who retires on May 31, began his professional life as a young engineer in the 1970s in Surat. With days to go before stepping down, it seems almost poetic that as he prepares to end his career he returned to Gujarat on May 12 to inaugurate a 'Sarai' or inn at IndianOil's fuel station at Moraiya village on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway.
Unfazed by the blistering 42 degree heat, Ashok was calm as he launched the IndianOil company-owned filling station. "A large portion of our sales come from highways," Ashok told this report.
"This is why we have set up this highway-specific facility." Spread across 3.5 acres and monitored by CCTV, the Sarai has shower and laundry facilities for truckers along with a cafe, open air gym, and recreational facilities. IndianOil operates 42 similar facilities in other states.
"We plan to add 100 Sarais by the end of the year, including eight in Gujarat," said Ashok. Accompanying Ashok was newly appointed IndianOil independent director and friend of Narendra Modi, Parindu Bhagat.