SHILLONG: In a statement that is likely to raise eyebrows in the state, the Opposition Congress has questioned the need for continuing with the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) while asserting that they have turned into a liability for the state government.
“The Autonomous District Councils have become a liability. The state government has to spend so much of money on salaries for the staff,” said Congress MLA from Mawryngkneng, David Nongrum.
Recalling that the ADCs were set up to protect and safeguard the culture, identity, land and resources of the indigenous people of Meghalaya which was then under Assam, Nongrum said, “After we got our own state there was no need to continue with the ADCs. We don’t require them. I don’t know why we are still continuing with this process of having district councils.”
“If we look at other states like Nagaland they never had ADCs even though they were one of the first to get statehood much before us. Look at Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram. It is only Assam and Meghalaya that have the Autonomous District Councils,” he stated.
Referring to Assam, Nongrum said, “They have the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) and Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council and in Meghalaya we have the KHADC, JHADC and GHADC. In Assam the Councils are fighting for their own state, land resources and identity but in Meghalaya we don’t have such issues and hence we don’t require the Autonomous District Councils.”
Pointing out that the ADCs have been getting a lot of central funds, Nongrum said, “These funds could have gone straight to the Dorbar Shnongs like we have in other states where the Municipal Corporation or the town committees or Panchayati Raj get direct funding.”
“I feel that state government should think and find ways and means to monitor the money which the ADCs get,” he added.
Lashing out at the NPP-led MDA regime for turning a blind eye on the ADC check gates set up all along the National Highways, Nongrum said, “My father won his first election in 2003 and now it is 2020. Till 2018 there was not a single check gate in Mawryngkneng constituency but today along the Bypass from Umiam to Mawryngkneng we have five gates on a 20-24 km stretch which is under my constituency”.
“These gates are collecting toll based on what I would say are stupid things. You have a livestock gate and then you have a non-tribal gate. It seems that if the driver is a non-tribal he has to pay tax and if the drivers are tribals they don’t pay any money. There is no system here,” he claimed.
“These gates sprung up after 2018. This is a clear indication that during the Congress rule we were strict and ensured that no illegal gate and tax collection was allowed in the state,” he said, while pointing out that the Supreme Court has ruled that there should be no illegal collection of taxes on the national highways.
Questioning the ADCs for setting up illegal toll gates, Nongrum said, “These highways are being constructed by the central government through the NHAI and hence the ADCs have no right to set up toll gates. You may set up toll gates to collect taxes on forest produce, sand and stones which are under the ADC jurisdiction but you cannot collect taxes from trucks because they have already paid the GST.”
He further pointed out that the ADCs were behaving like a second Taxation department and illegally collecting tax on the national highways.