PCRA’s first woman Director

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020711/edit.htm
Thursday, July 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India
PCRA’s first woman Director

Ms Leena MehendaleMs Leena Mehendale, a 52-year-old Maharashtra cadre IAS officer of the 1974 batch, recently took over as the first woman Executive Director of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Ministry of Petroleum. Although the compulsory wait period after a study leave stretched from October, 2001, to the fourth week of June, 2002, her patience finally bore fruit after the Appointments Committee of Cabinet cleared her name for the post.

This is the first time since PCRA’s inception in 1976 that a non technocrat outside the oil sector is holding the office of the ED. Ms Mehendale, therefore, enjoys the distinction of being the first woman IAS officer to be entrusted with this responsibility.

Known for her versatility, literary taste, writing skills and candour, she stepped into her new office in the Engineers India Limited building on Bhikaji Cama Place in the national Capital on June 25. Having spent three years (July, 1998, to May, 2001) in the National Commission for Women as Joint Secretary, Ms Mehendale is determined to advocate the entry of women in the oil sector.

“The number of women in this office is practically nil at the officers level. A lot of women pass out of the engineering colleges and IITs every year. We do not lack the women work force in the engineering sector. It is only a question of giving them representation in the oil sector. The only other bureaucrat in PCRA is Ms Vandana Singhal (from the Indian Railway Accounts Service) who heads the Oil Industry Development Board.”

Ms Mehendale comes from a family of bureaucrats. She is married to Pune-based engineer Parkash Mehendale and both her sons are engineers. She has held several key posts, including the Collector of Sangli district, Maharashtra (1984 to 1985), the Divisional Commissioner, Nasik, the Managing Director of the Western Maharashtra Development Corporation (1985 to 1988) and officiated as Vice-Chancellor of Open University (1994 to 1995). As Joint Secretary, NCW, she was entrusted with investigation of the Anjana Mishra case in Orissa besides cases of sexual harassment.

She has published three books in Marathi and two in Hindi.