The hunt for the first full-time chief executive officer (CEO) of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust enters its final lap on Tuesday with a high-powered panel interviewing 18 shortlisted candidates picked from 5,200 applicants. The trust decided to appoint a full-time CEO after the Ram temple donation embezzlement allegations came to light.
All 18 candidates reached Ayodhya late on Monday night and stayed at various locations in the temple town suggested by the Trust, said a senior official of the Trust.
The interview process will be carried out at the conference room of the Ram temple’s pilgrim facilitation centre in Ayodhya behind closed doors.
If the interviews are not completed on Tuesday, the process may continue on Wednesday, said a senior staff member of the trust.
The candidates will reach the Ram temple complex at around 9am and the interview process will start at 10am.
“Each candidate had forwarded his arrival schedule at the Ayodhya airport to the trust. They were picked up by the trust. From the airport, they were taken to the different locations in separate vehicles,” said the senior staff member of the trust.
“The interview will be conducted in the Ram temple and the candidates have been instructed not to interact with the media,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“The interview will be conducted in the Ram temple and the candidates have been instructed not to interact with the media,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“After the interview process is over, all of them will be taken back to the Ayodhya airport to board a flight to New Delhi. From Delhi, they will board flights to their respective destinations,” said another senior staff member of the trust.
The 18 candidates include former bureaucrats and former senior position holders of temples in South India, according to sources.
The three-member selection committee landed in Ayodhya Monday night to begin the crucial screening.
From the 18 applicants, it will zero in on three names for the Trust to make the final call.
The panel comprises former Supreme Court judge Justice Pramod Kohli, Lt Gen (Retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi, and Suresh Haware.
Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee, had earlier stressed that a full-time CEO was critical to bring professional administration and transparency to the world’s most watched temple project.
The trust has made it clear that this will be an autonomous appointment. The CEO’s powers will be defined by the trust, with no government interference. The CEO will report directly to the trust’s general secretary.
A senior trust official said the CEO will also formulate long-term plans under the board’s guidance to achieve objectives laid out in the Trust Deed.
As the CEO of the trust, the appointee will discharge all statutory, administrative, and financial responsibilities of the organisation.
According to the Trust, the CEO will have the responsibility to develop systems, procedures, and operational practices appropriate to the nature and scale of the organization, build and strengthen the organisational structure in accordance with the objectives, nature, and size of the institution.
Among other responsibilities, the CEO will serve as the highest executive authority responsible for the officers, functionaries, employees, and staff of the organization.
The CEO will ensure efficient management of the trust’s current activities and future development and ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory, and Trust Deed requirements.