By Our Reporter
Shillong: Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Thursday justified the termination of service of two casual employees from the office of the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) at Byrnihat.
Speaking to reporters after her meeting with a delegation of Ri Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF), the Urban Affairs Minister said that the CAG and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had summoned the department to carry out an exercise to justify the number of employees in all the offices of MUDA.
“We are over staffed and the two labourers had to be terminated,” Lyngdoh said, adding that the two concerned casual employees were terminated from services last year.
“However the Town Planning officer alleged that she had been threatened to ensure the continued services of the two employees,” the Minister said, adding that though their services were terminated last year, the MUDA continued to pay their salaries for which an additional expenditure of Rs 1 lakh was incurred.
On the threat of the RBYF, the Minister said, “Closing down the office will have serious implication on other casual employees working there.”
The two employees – Hundalin Warjri and Subita Lapang – had joined MUDA in April 2009 and were relieved of their services in January 2012.
