Complaints over dysfunctional ONGC postings
ONGC increasingly resembles a dysfunctional organisation with junior officers in senior positions and senior officers in junior positions.
That's the verdict of several insiders who question management's logic and cite several unusual postings over the past few months. Take GGM production JN Sukanandan's appointment in charge of the Ankleshwar asset, replacing Vijay Kumar Gokhale, who retired on December 31(2024).
Widespread astonishment ensued, especially after rumours suggested that DS Subbaraju, the Cambay asset manager and an ED, would replace Gokhale. Some suspect Subbaraju lost out because he did not have two years to retire.
Others argue that the rule about candidates needing a certain amount of time left before they retire is only for directors. They began to see a pattern in promotions and postings.
"Relatively junior officers are posted in positions meant for senior officers," says an ONGC source. "The Ankleshwar asset was usually led by an ED and the Cambay asset by a GGM; even the (prestigious) Dehradun-based ONGC Academy, always headed by an ED, is now under a CGM."
At the Baroda-based Western Onshore Basin office, two EDs are posted in a single department, once led by a GGM. M Portia, an ED, is chief of drilling services in the Western Onshore Basin; another executive director, RM Patil, previously with well stimulation services in Ahmedabad, is posted in the same department.
"Even in Delhi, where a CGM typically holds the head of sports post, the position has been given to Nishant Kumar, the head of ASTO, although he is only a DGM!" complains another source. TR Unnikrishnan, former surface manager at the Cambay asset and a GGM, has become Bokaro asset manager, leapfrogging group general manager Asim Kumar, who has more years of experience but retires on May 31 (2025).
"At Cambay, there is no replacement for Unnikrishnan because there is no surface manager there," we hear. Meanwhile, chief general manager production Bipin Prasad will replace Asim Kumar at Bokaro.
No one, however, is complaining that Sunil Kumar, an ED, took over as Mehsana asset manager to replace Sudip Gupta, who retired on December 31 (2024).