SHILLONG: Alleged political interference is cited as the immediate reason for removal of A. Nikhla from the post of Managing Director of Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC).
Nikhla, who held the post for just nine months, was determined to clean up the mess in MTC, sources said.
On July 7, she was replaced by PM Sangma, who was the commissioner of transport, but not before the MTC staff had staged protest against her removal since June 27.
Now, the post of commissioner of transport has come back to I. Ingty who had once held the position and Sangma was elevated to the post of MD, MTC.
Sources added that Nikhla, during her nine-month tenure, had planned to revamp MTC by initiating several measures.
The plan included improving the transport network in the State, providing more school buses and reduction of loss, among others.
According to sources, the official was also determined to check corruption in MTC which, however, did not find support from a few unhappy bureaucrats and politicians.
The financial mess and corruption in MTC was earlier unearthed by CAG as well as the inquiry panel of senior State IAS official MS Rao in the past.
Sources said financial discipline was not followed in MTC as a result of which the corporation is in the red for long and the accumulated loss is over Rs 106 crore.
After Nikhla joined MTC in September last year, she had initiated steps to frame rules for MTC like the case of other states, including Delhi and Karnataka.
The need to have austerity measures was also insisted by Nikhla, who also wanted vigilance in MTC-run vehicles to check the revenue leakage.
Nikhla had also issued a guideline that the staff cannot make purchases of spare parts and other items without the knowledge of the MD as in the past there were random purchases without accountability incurring in diversion of funds.
She was also against premature condemnation of MTC buses in the absence of maintenance section and unprofessional delivery of services.
Though the Meghalaya Transport Corporation Workers’ Union had petitioned both Transport Minister HDR Lyngdoh and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma to revoke the transfer order of Nikhla, they had not responded.
