VRS for 39 staff of Housing dept
Housing Minister Zenith Sangma informed the Assembly that the Housing department had submitted a proposal to the state government to come up with a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for 39 employees of the State Housing Board.
“We had submitted this proposal for VRS since the department was unable to arrange the necessary funds for payment of the salaries of the employees of the Board,” Sangma said during the Question Hour.
Replying to a supplementary question of Opposition leader Donkupar Roy, Sangma admitted that the salaries of the employees of the Board had not been paid since October, 2014.
“We have requested the government to allocate funds for payment of the salaries,” Sangma said.
Sangma also informed that the government allocates Rs.15 lakh to the Board annually which was too meager since around Rs.12 lakh was being used for salaries of the staff.
The Minister further informed that they have put up a proposal of Rs.2.94 lakh in the current supplementary demands to clear the pending salaries of the staff.
Rs 5.4 cr p.a. paid as salary to MBDA staff
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma informed the Assembly that the state government was paying Rs.5.40 crore annually as salary for staff of the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA).
The Chief Minister said that the MBDA had a total of 279 employees including 160 Khasi and Jaintia staff, 94 Garos, 4 from the minor tribes and 21 others.
“We have also appointed ten retired government officials in the MBDA and its associates,” Sangma said while replying during the Question Hour.
Govt wants land at Shillong Peak
Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong has informed that the state government has officially written to the Syiem of Mylliem – Latho Manik Syiem – to hand over a portion of the land at Shillong Peak Range to the government.
Tynsong informed that the government wanted a portion of the land from the Syiem of Mylliem to enable the Forest department to protect the greenery and vegetation of the Shillong Peak Range.
“We are facing difficulties in adopting any measure to protect the Shillong Peak Range since the land is not under our custody,” Tynsong said while replying during the Question Hour on Wednesday.
He also said that he will personally meet the Syiem of Mylliem to convince him to hand over the land to the government.
Tynsong asserted that the government would be able to effectively deal with illegal dwellers within the Shillong Peak Range once they get custody of the land.
Giving details of the land available in and around Shillong Peak, Tynsong said that 324.92 hectares of land was marked as Laitkor Peak Protected Forest, 20.74 hectares as Green Block, 766.47 hectares as Upper Shillong Protected Forest while and 97.20 hectares of land was under the Syiem of Mylliem.
Around 2000 villages yet to get roads
Out of a total of 544 villages in the state, as many as 245 villages, with a population of 250 or above, were yet to be connected with any kind of road, PWD Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
Another 1742 villages with a population of less than 250 were also yet to be connected by any kind of road, he said.
In his reply to a question during the Question Hour, the PWD Minister informed that the department was trying to provide road connectivity to a total of 304 villages through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Replying to a supplementary question of UDP leader Donkupar Roy, Dhar informed that no specific time frame had been set by the government to connect those villages by roads.
Dhar also informed that the state government was taking up projects from the State Plan to provide road connectivity in those villages which were yet to be connected, adding that the projects were being taken up based on availability of funds.
Govt to keep tab on money lending business
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Wednesday assured that the state government will come up with stringent legislation to regulate the economic activities of lending and borrowing.
The Chief Minister made the assurance to a question raised by UDP legislator Jemino Mawthoh on the existence of loan sharks in the state who were exploiting the local vendors in Iewduh market.
According to Sangma, so far the police have received two complaints (one in East Khasi Hills and another in South West Garo Hills) from individuals who have been exploited by loan sharks who charge hefty interest on loans to poor people.
“We will definitely come out with a legislation to regulate this illegal money lending activity,” the Chief Minister said.
Earlier, Mawthoh had expressed concern over the operation of the loan sharks in the major commercial hub of the city in Iewduh market.
“I have received reports that there are people who are exploiting the local vendors who struggle to make ends meet by asking them to deposit money with them with assurance of high rates of interest on the deposits. There are many local vendors who have fallen prey to such false promises made by these dubious people,” Mawthoh said.
He also suggested that the state government should take steps to ensure that all those who take deposits or lend money should register themselves with the government.
SPV’s inability to utilise funds questioned
Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the department will seek clarification from the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for its inability to utilize the funds released from the amount deposited by Lafarge Mining Private Limited to initiate developmental projects in the mining areas at Nongtrai village in Shella.
According to Tynsong, the state government had released a total amount of Rs.48.70 crore to the SPV adding that nearly Rs.21 crore still remained unutilized.
“We will seek clarification from the agency for its inability to utilize the fund,” he said while replying during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Wednesday.
Tynsong informed that Lafarge had deposited an amount of Rs.101.27 crore for development of the mining areas adding that the interest earned from the deposits is Rs.15.47 lakh.
While replying to the supplementary question, Tynsong informed that the SPV Chief Executive Officer (CEO) had resigned on December, 2014.
“We are on the job to appoint a new CEO,” he said.
Tynsong also informed that as per the norms laid down by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the SPV was allowed to take up developmental projects outside the mining areas for the interest of the people of the area.
Salary for garbage collectors
Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh informed that 41 garbage collectors have been engaged by the Tura Municipal Board (TMB) for garbage collection in Tura town.
“Some of the workers were getting a monthly pay of Rs.4200. But since last year the minimum pay has been increased to Rs.4800,” Ampareen said during the Question Hour on Wednesday.
She further informed that the TMB has been paying a monthly salary ranging from Rs.6000 to Rs.7500 to some workers on the basis of their seniority.
“The salary of the workers under the TMB has been fixed as per the norms of the Labour Laws,” the Urban Affairs Minister said.
Replying to a suggestion made by South Tura legislator John Leslee K Sangma, she assured to look into the discrepancies where some employees of the TMB were still getting Rs.160 per day despite the revision of the rate to Rs.165 per day.