Hoping Stone urges Govt to sanction money for KHADC arrear dues

SHILLONG: HSPDP legislator Hoping Stone Lyngdoh has urged the State Government to accord an immediate sanction of Rs 5.4 crore being the arrear pension of the former members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council  by taking from the contingency fund of the State.
“I do not think that the Government should have any problem in releasing the amount since the Government had allocated funds to the GHADC for payment of the arrear pension of the former members of the council,” Lyngdoh said while moving a resolution on the matter in the Assembly on Thursday.
Supporting the motion, HSPDP legislator from Rambrai Jyrngam KP Pangngiang said that the Government needs to support the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council  in payment of the arrear pension of the former members.
“The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council  does not have resources to pay the pension arrear on its own,” Pangngiang said while adding that the Government will assist the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council  as they have done to the GHADC.
In reply, District Council Affairs Minister (DCA) HDR Lyngdoh said that the State Government was not able to provide assistance to the KHADC to pay the arrear pension to the ex-MDCs since the financial position of the State is not comfortable. He said that the KHADC should try to pay the arrear pension of the ex MDCs from the share of royalties of minerals.
While justifying the decision to release Rs 2.54 crore to the GHADC from the State Contingency Fund, he said that the amount which was proposed by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council  is more than five times compared to the amount proposed by the GHADC.