JOIN USThe return of engineer-turned-bureaucrat Ashwani Lohani to the Railways with a new assignment comes two years after the Narendra Modi government hand-picked him to steer Air India out of a crisis.
He was brought in as chairman and managing director, with the task of making the national carrier’s turnaround plan a success and had the tough task of improving its finances.
During his tenure, he managed to bring the airline on the profit route by registering operational profit.
But Lohani, an Indian Railway Service officer who is known as “turnaround specialist” is leaving the national carrier at a critical juncture, when the government is finalising the contours of Air India disinvestment.
His measures brought back the airline on track and allowed the government to provide an attractive offer for bidders.
Like his appointment in Air India, Lohani is coming back to the Railways at a critical time when accidents are a recurring theme.
He is known as a taskmaster, but employees have seen him standing like a rock in times of crisis. He took a strong stand in favour of employees to impose a flying ban on MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who slapped an Air India manager.
Lohani, who has four engineering degrees and found a place in Limca Book of Records for his feat, was the head of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation when he was chosen for the job in Air India.
A qualified mechanical engineer, who also has degrees in electrical, metallurgical and electronics and telecommunication streams, Lohani is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.