Rs 16 cr withdrawal
SHILLONG: With the coffer of GHADC remaining empty following the withdrawal of Rs 16 crore in advance by the former Congress-led Executive Committee, the present EC led by NPP is contemplating to order a probe into the matter. Sources said that it was before the district council elections that the previous Congress-led EC took withdrew the money from the state government to clear the bills of some contractors who were close to the members of EC. “We are trying to get into the root of the matter as we want to know to whom the money was released as the people have the right to know since the coffer is empty and GHADC is suffering from negative balance”, NPP spokesperson and legislator James Sangma said. When contacted, the GHADC CEM, Denang Sangma said on Sunday that the EC would meet and chalk out a plan of action to follow up the matter. Ironically, the present EC led by NPP had sought an advance of Rs 15 crore from the state government to pay the pending salaries and arrears of the employees for five months before Christmas, but in vain. As there was no response from the state government to release the amount of Rs 15 crore sought by GHDC, the Executive Committee somehow managed to pay some amount to the employees before Christmas, the CEM said. He said that the staff is very much aware that the previous EC did not even bother to pay the pending salaries of the employees. “We tried to pay a portion of the pending salaries to the employees from the resources generated by way of auction of the markets”, the CEM said.