sTRIVE final.pdf

outputs under one umbrella was mooted.
This led to the formation of Steel Authority
of India Ltd. The company, incorporated on
January 24, 1973 was made responsible for
managing five integrated steel plants at
Bhilai, Bokaro, Durgapur, Rourkela and
Burnpur, the Alloy Steel Plant and the
Salem Steel Plant. In 1978 SAIL was
restructured as an operating company.
Post liberalization, many private
entrepreneurs have also come up in this
sector and set up integrated steel plants. The
present installed capacity of steel in India is
approximately 70 MT and India ranks 4 th in
World Steel Production.
Strive: When and how did you get
associated with steel industry?
Mr. J L Aggarwal: My association with
steel began in the year 1966 when I came to
Durgapur as a student engineer trainee
during the college summer break. However,
I started my professional career in Steel
Industry in the year 1968 after my
graduation from Punjab Engineering College
Chandigarh. At that time a job in Hindustan
Steel Limited (now known as Steel
Authority of India Limited) and so also in
other PSUs was considered a plum job. At
that time the steel industry in India was at a
primitive stage with only Tata Steel and
IISCO in the private sector both established
pre-independence and HSL in the Public
sector set up post-independence with
Rourkela, Bhilai and Durgapur Steel plants.
Then came Bokaro Steel Plant followed by
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited. All these
plants were started with an initial capacity of
1.0 MT each. In 1972 Hindustan Steel
Limited was restructured to form Steel
Authority of India Limited, a holding
company to manage inputs and outputs
under one umbrella. This was converted to
an operating company in 1978. Over the
years the private sector has also come up in
this area and the total installed capacity of
steel in India stands at close to 70 MTPA.
Strive: What is the biggest change you have
seen from the time you started your career?
Mr. J L Aggarwal: I have been in the steel
Industry for nearly 44 years, 39 years in
SAIL and about 5 years in private sector
steel industry post retirement from SAIL.
During the first about 15-20 years the pace
of change in this sector was not very
dynamic. There were not many technology
changes and not much of capacity
expansion. But after the second half of the
eighties the industry has seen phenomenal
growth both quantitatively as well as
qualitatively. Some of the major changes
that the industry has witnessed are
1. Increased role of private sector
2. Adoption of New Technologies
3. Concern for environment
4. Benchmarking with the world standards
in terms of operating parameters
5. Amalgamations and mergers of
Technology Suppliers across the world.
But sadly, being a blue collar job industry it
has lost its sheen in the eyes of the younger
generation who prefer white collar jobs.
Strive: Could you please let us know more
about the challenges faced by you during
project management and execution in
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NOVEMBER 2012