Officers shuffled, Nikhil Desai retains tourism corporation post

PANAJI: In a surprise transfer, senior officer Sanjit Rodrigues who was posted as managing director of Goa

Tourism Development Corporation

(

GTDC

) last month was moved to the directorate of rural development agency (DRDA) on Tuesday.

Sources said that with the tourism corporation coming under criticism, chief minister Manohar Parrikar wanted Rodrigues to run GTDC affairs, especially after Dayanand Sopte was appointed its chairman. After executing several projects under the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), Rodrigues, in April 2017 was posted by the chief minister to the Solid Waste Management Corporation as its managing director after garbage management was made the government’s top priority.

Last month, Rodrigues was posted to GTDC, replacing Nikhil Desai who is also the director of transport. Even after one month of the order, Rodrigues was not given charge as Desai, who has been the GTDC manging director for many years, was not relieved. Sources said that while the chief minister wanted to relieve Desai, he was under pressure from some ministers to retain him.

On Tuesday, the personnel department issued an order posting Rodrigues as project director of DRDA (North). He replaces Brijesh Mandrekar who is posted as nodal officer (elections) in the office of chief electoral officer, Altinho, Panaji. Desai will continue to hold additional charge of GTDC managing director.

By another order, 23 joint mamlatdars were also reshuffled.

Sanjit Rodrigues was posted to GTDC last month, replacing Nikhil Desai. A month later, Rodrigues was not given charge as Desai, who has been GTDC MD for years, was not relieved