Three MSRTC directors dismissed for vandalism

MUMBAI, July 15: Three directors of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC, accused of vandalising the corporation gues...

MUMBAI, July 15: Three directors of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC, accused of vandalising the corporation guesthouse in april, have been given the sack.

Phoolchand Karad, advocate Milind Patil and Subhash Vora were accused of manhandling corporation staff and ransacking the office of the secretary of the Managing Director, Ashok Khot, after they were disallowed from making long distance calls from the corporation guesthouse.

The three directors, reportedly drunk, had tried to make long distance calls at night. However, the corporation, which is facing a resource crunch, has circulated an order forbidding the use of guest house telephones for private long distance calls after 10 pm.

Despite this order, the directors asked for the facility to be extended for 24 hours a day, and they were reportedly told that their demand would be looked into. 8220;But on April 7 at around 11 pm, the trio threatened the security staff into opening the Managing Director8217;s office. When they did notsucceed, they ransacked his secretary8217;s office,8221; said a senior official on conditions of anonymity.

The corporation registered a police complaint against the trio, even as the government asked the Chief Security and Vigilance Officer to look into the matter. The government also issued a show cause notice to the directors, who subsequently resigned. But senior MSRTC officials claim the resignations have not been placed on record.

Officials say this is the first time that directors of the corporation have been dismissed. Karad, who hails from Beed, Patil, a resident of Usmanabad and Vora, who comes from Kolhapur, have been at their posts for two years. All of them are Bharatiya Janata Party workers.