SHILLONG, June 28: Although under financial distress due to COVID-19, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) will not deprive its employees of their salaries, feels the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Council, Titosstarwell Chyne. “Our financial position is still manageable to ensure that the staff receive their salaries. But it is true that our financial position is a bit tight in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation,” the CEM stated.
Elucidating on the fiscal position of the Council, Chyne said that the state government is yet to disburse amount due to the KHADC on the share from royalties on major and minor minerals.
“The state government is yet to release a substantial amount of funds which is due to the Council. We expect the government to release the pending dues since it had released a total amount of Rs 11 crore in March this year,” the CEM said, adding that the Council will continue to pursue the matter with the government to expedite the release of the dues.
Earlier, former CEM of the KHADC, PN Syiem, had expressed his concern that the Council would not be able to pay salaries to the staff while making a comparison of the situation in KHADC with the two other district councils — JHADC and GHADC.
“The delay on the part of the government to release the pending dues is putting the Council in a difficult situation,” Syiem had said.
He also alleged that the state government had forcefully tried to divert the funds under the tied grants which were earmarked by the 15th Finance Commission even as 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 state government will need to pay interest for failing to release the funds to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) within 10 days of earmarking the funds, Syiem had said.
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,” Syiem said.
