TV Ramachandran to join Vodafone

NEW DELHI, INDIA: TV Ramachandran, who resigned as the director general of the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), is likely to join Vodafone Essar as its resident director.

His primary responsibilities include regulatory affairs and associating with key ministries, among others. He will be based in Delhi.

When contacted, he confirmed the development, saying, "Vodafone is one of the main options I am pursuing, though I have some other options too."

At Vodafone, he will begin his second innings. Before joining COAI 12 years ago, he had worked with Sterling Cellular. At the helm of affairs, he had an opportunity to work with Swisscom. During his tenure at COAI, his contribution to the telecom industry is remarkable.

Vodafone Essar has recently made lots of organizational changes.

Vodafone is facing pressure from the Income Tax Department for not deducting some $ 2 billion as TDS from its payment to Hutchison when it bought 67 per cent of Hutchison Essar (since renamed Vodafone Essar) for $11.1 billion in 2007.

IT department had felt Vodafone should have deducted tax at source when it paid Hutchison. In 2007, Vodafone received a show-cause notice asking it why it had not done this.