Selection Committee to be set up within 1-2 days: Deora

New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) Reiterating that the final selection of the ONGC's CMD will be fair, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora today said a new committee will be set up in the next one or two days.

''The new committee will be set up in the next one or two days,'' Mr Deora told reporters here.

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had, five months ago, selected ONGC Director (Finance) R S Sharma for the top job in the petroleum and gas major but the government had scrapped the choice.

Mr Deora said the new committee will comprise of ''two to three members from outside''.

Commenting on the possible strike call given by the Association of Scientific and Technical Officers (ASTO), a representative body of ONGC executives, the minister said, ''There is no such threat. The ONGC's employees are very peaceful''.

Last week, ASTO had threatened for the possible strike if the R S Sharma was not made ONGC CMD.

Mr Sharma had been selected by the PESB for the key post on August 30, 2006. He has been functioning as acting CMD since May 2006, when the government had decided not to extend the term of then CMD Subir Raha.

UNI