‘KHADC’s financial position is tight’

SHILLONG: Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Deputy Chief Executive Member in charge of Finance Pyniaid Sing Syiem informed that not less than Rs 4 crore is spent on salaries of MDCs and staff of the Council even as he said that its financial position is tight.
Replying to a supplementary query during the KHADC summer session on Wednesday, raised by Congress MDC Lamphrang Blah on whether KHADC can allocate funds from the share of minor and major minerals for development of constituencies, Syiem said, “Presently, the financial position is very tight. Even for one month, the salaries of MDCs and staff come to not less than Rs 4 crore.”
He further informed that Rs 7,99,54,888 was given to the state government for conducting the 2019 Council elections.
When Congress MDC Ronnie Lyngdoh asked on how are the proceeds from major and minor minerals used, Syiem said the proceeds are used to roll out the administration of KHADC such as to pay the salaries of MDCs and staff who number not more than 800.
Syiem informed that initially the share of KHADC from coal, which is a major mineral, was 65 per cent but it came down to 25 per cent after the KHADC handed over the administration of basic schools to state government. In this connection, the state government re-notified the share system pertaining to coal which is in its present share of 25 per cent.
Executive Member in charge of Mining, Mitchel Wankhar in the circulated reply informed that the share from major and minor minerals during the year, 2018-2019 is Rs 17, 85,14,361 and Rs 4,86,46,694 respectively.