TURA: The three-day provisional budget session of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) which began on Tuesday saw the opposition NPP going all out to demand from the ruling Congress the clearance of all pending salaries of the employees who have not been paid for fifteen long months.
Leader of the opposition and former CEM Denang T Sangma said that the replies given by the CEM Boston Ch Marak on the floor of the house during question hour were extremely unsatisfactory.
Senior NPP MDC Dipul R Marak had questioned the ruling Congress about the financial position of the GHADC and asked as to what steps were being taken to clear the long pending salaries of the staff.
The CEM Boston Marak had informed the house that the financial position was not good and steps were being taken to clear the pending dues of the employees.
“He (Boston) did not even elaborate as to how bad the situation was and what kind of steps were being taken to clear the dues. That is because he has no solution to the problem,” said Denang T Sangma in a statement to the media after the end of the first day’s session.
The opposition NPP has alleged that the Boston Marak led EC was now contemplating to release only two months pending salaries of the employees much to the dismay of the workers many of whom have not been able to pay even the school fees of their children while their credit accumulates in the market.
There are instances of some employees having to take up daily labour work to fend for their families in view of the delay in payment of their monthly salaries.
“Boston rebelled and broke our Executive Committee early this year alleging that we were unable to pay the salaries of the employees. Today he is at the helm of affairs so why can’t he do justice that he has all along been demanding. He has created a history of sorts by pushing the GHADC to the worst financial situation ever. Never before has there been any record of employees going without getting paid for 15 months. Boston has broken the record books,” said Denang T Sangma.
Meanwhile, not much progress has been made by the district council as far taking up projects under the central government’s special assistance funding is to go.
To a query from the NPP on the number of projects completed under the central government’s special assistance funding, Boston Marak informed that so far only nine projects have been completed.
