‘Govt cannot hold back funds for dist councils’

SHILLONG, June 16: Former Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) chief PN Syiem said the state government should immediately release the funds under the tied grants earmarked by the 15th Finance Commission along with the interest amount.
He pointed out that the previous government had released the funds under the tied grants.
According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance, the government will need to pay interest for failing to release the funds to the ADC within 10 days of earmarking, Syiem said on Wednesday.
The former CEM, who is also the chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF), the opposition alliance in the KHADC, said the previous Congress-led MUA government had to pay an interest of Rs 60 lakh to the Council for not releasing the funds earmarked by the 13th Finance Commission in time.
“The same yardstick should be applied even in this case since the government has delayed the release of funds to the tune of Rs 45.5 crore under tied grants earmarked for all the three Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). The government should pay the interest amount of nearly one year as was done by the previous government,” Syiem said.
He added that the state government cannot divert the funds as the district councils are recognised as rural local bodies according to a circular issued by the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of funds earmarked by a Finance Commission.
The former CEM said the Council can utilise the funds by constructing water storage, providing potable water to the schools and protecting various water sources in the villages.
His successor, Titosstarwell Chyne, said, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has in principle agreed to release the funds to the KHADC.
He insisted that the funds under the tied grants will be implemented by the Council, specifically on a rural sanitation programme.
“The PHE department will provide us with a list of villages to be benefitted through the Jal Jeevan Mission. We will be implementing our programme in villages which are not covered under this mission,” Chyne said.
This is being done to ensure there is no duplicity in the finalisation of the villages to benefit under the sanitation programme of the council, he added.