From Our Correspondent
TURA: In view of non-payment of pension to Ex-MDCs of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, the Ex-MDCs Welfare Association has urged the State Government District Council Affairs and the GHADC to be sincere in processing the payment of pension as early as possible.
The Association said, even after the judgment order issued by the High Court, the payment of pension to Ex-MDCs is at a standstill and appears that the State Government and the GHADC stand in a negative attitude towards the payment of the pensions.
It may be mentioned that the Association had approached the Executive Committee of GHADC regarding payment of pension to Ex-MDCs and accordingly the GHADC had enacted the GHADC (Members Pension) Act 2007 which was approved by the Governor of Meghalaya in July, 2007.
However, in section 4 of the Members Pension Act 2007 of GHADC, debarred the pension benefit of Ex-MDCs who had been members of the District Council before 2007 and for that reason, the Association filed a writ petition in the Guwahati High Court, Shillong Bench in 2009.
BR Marak said, “In the judgment order of the Guwahati High Court, Shillong Bench it said that the writ petition is allowed and let a writ mandamus issue directing the respondent authorities to frame the rules for implementing the provisions of the GHADC (Members Pension) Act 2007 within two months from the date of revival of the District Council by the State respondents or otherwise within two months of the constitution of the new District Council should be any fresh election in the meantime and thence pay the pension to all the eligible Ex-MDCs of the District Council represented by the petitioner-Association within three months thereafter”.
