NGEA appeals for people’s support during water supply stoppage

TURA: As the Non Gazetted Employees Association (NGEA) of the GHADC continues on its indefinite strike over pending salaries, which includes stopping the Council’s water supply to the citizens until a written assurance is given by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, leaders of the association on Tuesday appealed to the citizens to cooperate and bear with them despite the inconveniences.

Demanding that all their pending salaries should be cleared before the upcoming GHADC elections, the association besides stopping the water supply has decided to boycott all of their duties including the upcoming GHADC polls.

In a video uploaded on Youtube, the association condemned the statement made by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma that most of the salaries of the employees were cleared by his government. The association also questioned Sangma’s long silence on the issue.

The association also said that the two months’ salary which was released before Christmas in December last year was yet to be credited to the accounts of many of the employees.

“We had demanded our two months’ salaries as per the new pay scale. But as the authorities requested us we had to settle for the old one. However, most of the employees are yet to receive the salaries as it is yet to be credited to their accounts,” General Secretary, Brithen Sangma informed.

Sangma said that while the previous EC left behind a total of only six months unpaid salaries, the outgoing EC led by the NPP had allowed the pending salaries to accumulate to some thirty plus months. Going by these facts, the association said that the statement by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was not acceptable.

Sangma also said that large scale corruption had taken place during the term of the outgoing EC led by the NPP with members siphoning off a huge amount of the Council’s funds and demanded action against all those involved. The association while demanding the immediate arrests of all the guilty MDCs also sought their debarment from contesting the elections. Another demand made by the association is that the MDCs be made to repay the amount misappropriated by them to the council.