Satish Agnihotri has taken charge as Chairman cum Managing Director of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) at a rather critical juncture. The completion deadline of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR project - described as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet scheme - has reportedly been stretched forward by five years: From 2023 to 2028. Project costs have spiralled, while the Indian and Japanese government (project financer) have been unable to thrash out the arithmetics on revised costs. Execution tasks have apparently become tougher because of the Uddhav Thackeray government's apparent reluctance in parting with the land required for the project in Maharashtra.

Hopes in official circles seems to rest on such a premise: That Agnihotri - a 1982 batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) - would be able to bring about the same kind of a turnaround that he had so successfully executed in the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) during his stewardship of the organisation for close to nine years. During his tenure as the Chairman cum Managing Director, the RVNL was awarded the "Mini Ratna"status for the first time in 2003 and achieved the rating of " Excellent performance"for nine consecutive years. From revenues of Rs. 1445 crores in 2010-11 - the year Agnihotri joined as CMD - the figures shot up to Rs. 8000 crores in 2017-18 - an increase of as much as 453 percent. During the period, the RVNL completed 7000 km rail lines including 3000 km of doubling/third line, 880 km of gauge conversion and 3000 km of rail electrification. In settling upon the candidature of Agnihotri, the policy makers were apparently influenced by another fact: That, amongst all his peers, Agnihotri is the only officer to have had a consistent and intense involvement with  India's high speed plans. From July 2012 to August 2018, he functioned as the Chairman of the High Speed Rail Corporation - the precursor of the HSRCL. After the Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved his selection on June 8, Agnihotri took charge as NHSRCL Managing Director on July 1. 

Ends.