SHILLONG: KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit has ruled out any threat to the present Executive Committee (EC) of the Council.
“I would not like to comment on the reports in the media on the possibilities of the UDP withdrawing its support to ARPA. It could be just a mere speculation since the news report has not quoted anyone,” Basaiawmoit said while talking to newsmen here on Thursday.
He said that the concerned sources who had passed on the information would know better.
It may be mentioned that the HSPDP-KHNAM combine did not support UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh in the Shillong seat in the on-going Lok Sabha elections. All the three parties are members of ARPA, running the KHADC.
Meanwhile, Basaiawmoit said that the new EC had taken some important measures to streamline the functions of the Council.
“No doubt, the steps taken by the EC might have hurt someone. But we are not here to please anyone. The Council will work to serve the aspirations and expectations of the people,” the KHADC CEM said.
He said that the first major step taken by the Council was to stop leasing of the check gates of the Forest and Environment wing of the Council.
“We have taken this decision since we found that there was no transparency in the revenue which the council is supposed to get,” Basaiawmoit said.
The KHADC CEM informed that the EC was planning to constitute an inquiry on the expenditures incurred in the Khasi Heritage Village at Mawphlang.
He also informed that they would be issuing a show cause notice against the contractors who were given the contract to construct the Legislative Building of the Legislative Wing of the Council. He said the EC had also constituted a technical inquiry into these lapses for not calling of the tender.
“The previous EC had allotted the work to the concerned contractors without calling of the tender,” Basaiawmoit said.
The CEM said that the KHADC was planning to formulate a bill which will streamline the functioning of the Dorbar Shnong and other traditional institutions.
“We have always heard about factions within the Dorbar Shnong. This is not a healthy trend. We would want to address this problem by remaining neutral and not taking sides with any of the parties,” Basaiawmoit said.