TURA: Anger had been brewing among a section of elected members for quite some time in Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) over the disparity in funds allocation for developmental works and alleged refusal or failure by the Dipul Marak led Executive Committee to resolve the issue culminated in a rebellion and switching sides by disgruntled MDCs causing the ruling NPP alliance to lose face by being defeated in an election that was supposed to have been a cake walk.
The bone of contention which caused several MDCs from the ruling Garo Hills Progressive Alliance to cross over to the opposition Congress camp was the alleged unequal distribution of funds from the centre’s Excluded Area Grant (EAG) for development of each MDCs constituency.
“The central government had released a total amount of Rs 44 crore, first phase 31 crore and second phase Rs 13.6 crore, under the Excluded Area Grant for developmental works in each district council constituency of GHADC. But the ruling NPP Executive Committee selectively distributed the funds giving just the bare minimum for the opposition members,” claimed Deputy Chairman Mettrinson G Momin while speaking to The Shillong Times on Thursday.
According to Momin, the huge fund from the EAG by the Centre was for the year 2018-19 and each MDCs constituency was to receive approximately Rs. 1.55 crore for construction of roads, footpaths, ring wells and other developmental projects.
“The initial amount of 60 percent for the commencement of the works was released while the remaining 40 percent was to be given after completion of work, submission of utilisation certificates and inspection of the project sites. But that did not happen,” alleges the deputy chairman. He added that only the members of the Executive Committee were privileged to receive the second allotment of forty percent.“Contractors and suppliers in each constituency had invested and completed the projects but the second instalment of funds was not released. Even in my constituency where I had implemented 13 projects the remaining forty percent amounting to Rs 60 lakhs was not released by the Dipul Marak EC,” revealed Momin.
The deputy chairman has alleged that the remaining funds for the second instalment have already been withdrawn from the council treasury. “I led a delegation of MDCs to the CEM to protest this and even gave an option to them that if they cannot pay us the second instalment then at least utilise the same amount due to us for clearing the salaries of the employees which have been pending for almost two years. Instead the EC released one month of staff salaries with money obtained from auctioning of the weekly market haats,” mentions Momin.
