Barbil (Odisha): Tata Steel Long Products senior general manager Manikanta Naik has been elected as the new chairman of the Keonjhar Chapter of Indian Institute of Metals (IIM). The Chapter’s first Annual General Meeting to elect office bearers was held here on Saturday.
Dr. Suresh Chandra Khattoi, managing director, Minmet Consultants, was elected vice chairman. Others who were elected to the executive committee are: secretary -Pratyush Nanda, Dy. Divl. Head (Electrical), TSLPL; Jt. Secretary -. Brij Badhadra, executive vice president, JSPL; treasurer – Pratyush Pattanayak, director, Minmet Consultants; executive members: Suraj Prasad, GM, Arya Steel, Ramachandra Sahu, ex-HOD, Mett. Engg., UGIE, Rourkela; and P K Deo, GM, Rungta Steel, Barbil.
Speaking on this occasion, Manikanta Naik, thanked the members and others present and requested the industry and academia to come forward to use the platform provided by IIM, Keonjhar to collaborate with each other in addressing the future challenges.
Dr. Suresh Chandra Khattoi, MD, Minmet Technologies, stressed on the huge prospects of industrial development in Keonjhar, especially in the metal sector. Such a forum provided an apt platform for providing a fillip to industrialization in the district, he added. He was joined by Brij Badhadra, Executive Vice President, JSPL who urged all present to contribute ideas to make the chapter more vivid and interactive.
The AGM was followed by an absorbing technical session which comprised 3 presentations by eminent speakers.
A K Patra, Principal, Orissa School of Mining & Engineering, Keonjhar was the chief guest on the occasion. The topics covered included use of lean ore in steelmaking, by Dr. Ashok Sahu, Sr. Scientist, IMMT, Bhubaneswar; refractory for DRI and pelletisation by Dr. Arup Samant, Sr. Vice President, TRL Krosaki Refractories Limited and use of natural gas for industrial application in steelmaking, by Shailendra Voleti, Zonal General Manager, Gas Authority of India Limited. The participants made the sessions interesting through their queries and observations.
