None better than the ‘turnaround man’
Never in the appointment of a new chairman of the Railway Board have the responses been so undisputed.
“The right man for the right job” was a common remark heard Wednesday evening after the government issued an order nominating the chairman and managing director of Air India, Ashwani Lohani, to the post, replacing AK Mittal who stepped down in light of the two back-to-back train derailments.
Reasons for Lohani drawing such effusive praises are not far to find. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers, Lohani has not only earned the reputation of being the “turnaround man” but is also respected for his “interpersonal skills”.
Lohani is a multi-faceted personality:A cutting-edge manager who is credited to have brought about the turnaround of the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) during his previous stints; a steam enthusiast, who was instrumental in putting up Indian rail on the world heritage map by upgrading the “steam shed” at Rewari.
It was because of Lohani’s initiatives that the Fairy Queen, the world’s oldest steam engine, had a run on Indian tracks – setting the Guinness world record in 1998.
During his stint as the CMD of Air India, the national carrier posted operational profit in 2015-16 for the first time after its merger. The airline improved its image perception and also quantum improvement in its passenger services, besides expanding to various domestic and international destinations.
Holding the Limca National Record for four engineering degree, Lohani is a qualified chartered mechanical engineer from UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers( or IMechE), and holds degrees equivalent in electrical engineering, metallurgical engineering from the Institute of Engineers of India. During an earlier stint as the DRM of Delhi, the Indian Railways received appreciation from the CAG in its audit report on the CWG. During the same period (from March 2011 to February 2012), the New Delhi Railway Station was awarded the National Tourism Award in the category of the “most friendly tourist station”.