No salary for 25 months, no ration: GHADC staff face uncertain future

TURA: Close to two thousand employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), along with their families, are staring at an uncertain future amid the 21-day pan-India lockdown with no relief being provided to them nor their pending salaries due for 25 months being released.
The employees, a majority of them based in Tura, have been running from pillar to post to get a meal for their families and themselves.
“We haven’t got our salaries, so how can we buy essential items? It is now more than a week but we have got no ration or any assistance. It appears we are not humans,” the employees lamented.
Interestingly, GHADC CEM Dipul Marak, who should have been in the forefront to deal with the crisis, is found wanting.
“We had planned to provide essential items such as rice, lentil, sugar, salt and potatoes under a one-time relief package by directly lifting the commodities from the wholesale dealers but there is a shortage of food material,” claims his former deputy, Augustine Marak, from the ruling dispensation.
According to Augustine, as much as a thousand quintals of food stock is required to provide ration only for the 900 employees and their families residing in Tura alone.
“We are still trying to arrange the consignment first for the staff in Tura and gradually for the others,” assured Augustine.
He also informed that process is under way to pay two months’ salaries of the employees at the earliest.
“Because of the lockdown, we are not able to complete the process. If the situation normalises, we will be able to give the salaries within one week,” said Augustine.