The news that Ranjit Kumar Dutta, fondly called RKD by his colleagues in the Oil industry, had succumbed to a brief illness on that fateful day of 19th May 2021, came as a shock to many who were close to this industry stalwart and wonderful human being. His better half Julie Dutta- acharismatic lady had passed away a year earlier leaving a void, albeit briefly, in the life of RKD. RKD's contribution to the growth & development of both the upstream (exploration & production) and downstream (refining & marketing) segments of the Petroleum Industry in the NE Region has been simply remarkable. It's no wonder he could win many awards/citations in course of his illustrious career in the oil sector.
A steadfast marketing professional and a keen student of History, RKD started his career in the erstwhile Assam Oil Company and progressed quickly to head the organization for 11 long years till the year 1995. That same year he was hand-picked by the Government of India to head the prestigious Numaligarh Refinery Project popularly known as the "Assam Accord Refinery" as it's first Managing Director. It was RKD's visionary leadership and hard work which resulted in the Refinery being commissioned on time without any cost over-runs and transforming it to a well-managed profitable enterprise. RKD's management skills were put to test once again when he was selected for the post of Chairman cum Managing Director of Oil India Limited. During his tenure as CMD OIL from May 2002 to February 2006, he was successful in reversing the declining trend in OIL's production and revamping it into a more professionally managed corporate entity.
One of the endearing qualities of RKD was that he could never say no to any reasonable request for his time or help in resolving personal matters. This quality could be discerned in his work life too where he demonstrated his concern for the welfare of employee's as well as their families. He once mentioned at the time of construction of the Accord Refinery that execution of the project was no big deal given that technologies & resources were available for the purpose, but the greater challenge was to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the employees and their families. Retention of human capital at a remote location being uppermost in his mind he build a beautiful township at Numaligarh with all basic amenities including top notch recreational facilities and professionally managed School and Hospital.
After retirement from Oil India Limited, RKD continued with his active lifestyle serving as an Adviser to the Government of Assam for some time and also lending his expertise to the Boards of a few well-known companies. He joined the forum "NRL EXOCON" comprising primarily of past officers of NRL as one of its founding members and provided valuable guidance to some of the initiatives like assistance to the poor & needy or creating awareness for conservation of the environment with the limited resources of the forum. On the day of the Adya Shraddha of RKD, members of NRL EXOCON and their families remember him with reverence and prayfor the eternal peace of the noble soul.
– P K Bora
General Secretary
NRL EXOCON
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