By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The staff strength of as many as 295 persons to run just 55 buses is an indication of the huge financial liability of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC).
Moreover, out of the total 55 buses run by the MTC, only 30 buses are on the road, while six are un-serviceable and proposed to be condemned and 19 others were temporarily put off service.
Transport Minister HDR Lyngdoh admitted that while the staff strength is huge, services offered are dismal.
“There is high cost on staff and out of the total cost of operations, 77 per cent is spent on staff,” Lyngdoh told reporters on Friday.
While the monthly income from MTC is Rs 66.25 lakh, the expenditure is Rs 114.99 lakh, he informed.
MTC runs inter-state bus services to Guwahati, Silchar, Karimganj and Hamren and bus services to other destinations within the State include Tura, Phulbari, Williamnagar, Jowai and Baghmara.
However, there is no bus service to Nongpoh and Nongstoin.
With the meager earning and large staff strength, the Government is not able to release the salary of the staff in time.
For the last four months, the MTC could not release Rs 2.62 crore which is the salary of the 295 staff who include 112 mechanical staff, 99 ministerial and Grade IV staff, 45 drivers, 20 conductors, 8 contract drivers, 6 administrative staff and 5 technical officers.
The Minister said that to reduce the staff strength, the MTC had initiated Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and in 2004, the MTC had cleared an amount of Rs 14.5 crore to as many as 207 employees.
Out of the current staff strength of 295, as many as 123 have applied for VRS and the financial involvement for this is Rs 18.09 crore.
The Minister said that the Transport department will seek the views of the Finance department after which the matter be placed before the Cabinet for consideration.
Terming MTC as a sick corporation, the Minister asserted that he would try his best to revamp it.