Senior CIL executive and sports administrator Deval Sahay (left), who retired on Tuesday, receives a bouquet at a farewell function. Coal officials have received long due promotions but are not happy. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, July 31: Promotion is not necessarily good news, at least feel hundreds of coal executives.

Having received their long overdue promotions the coal executives should be celebrating the hike in salary and designation. Instead, they are brooding that they would have to relocate or stay away from their families.

Around 400 executives of E-5 level have been promoted to the M-I level. In other words, they have been made managers. The promotions come after a long wait, in many instances after 12 years.

“Indeed it was a long overdue promotion,” said a new manager, who has been transferred from Ranchi to Nagpur.

“But practically all of us have been made managers and transferred to a different company, as per the rules of Coal India Limited. This transfer is going to take a heavy toll of most of us.”

The promotion comes with a transfer that would now post him away from his family.

“One of my sons is months away from the vital Class XII examinations. I just cannot think of disturbing his studies at this stage. I am worried because he needs my attention the most at this juncture and I have to go work in another city,” added the Coal India Limited official.

Explaining the situation, another official said: “What has happened is that most of us are in that age group when one craves for a settled family life, with children’s education being the top priority. Now many of us will have to maintain two residences, which is going to cost a lot and take us away from our family.”

Referring to realities, another manager said such transfers are not productive as such candidates are always on the lookout for leaves and opportunities to get away from the place of posting to their homes.

“Though many get a day or two at home during weekends or on short leaves, the fact remains that their mind is always far away from their new work place.”

Those transferred to cities near Ranchi can reach the city during weekends. But those managers who have been asked to report at places such as Nagpur or Bilaspur are sulking. A major part of their salaries would be spent on travelling home and maintaining two residences that their child’s education could suffer, fear most of these officials.

“If these promotions had come on time many of us would have been level-two managers and would have been well settled wherever we were. Our children’s education would not have suffered,” said a manger.