By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 22: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday agreed the autonomous district councils (ADCs) have financial liabilities but refused to accept that they are becoming liabilities instead of assets.
“The district councils have a very important role to play, keeping in mind our tradition, land-holding rights, and cultural aspects,” he said.
Disagreeing that the ADCs have lost their relevance, Sangma said they must be maintained and allowed to function.
“Their management and administration have to be improved. We need a more professional approach, administrative and financial reforms to augment revenue,” the chief minister said.
He felt the manpower of the councils could be reduced while patting the KHADC for better management and functioning with adequate human resources.
On pending salaries in the GHADC and JHADC, the chief minister said that being autonomous, the councils have to take care of their finances through reforms but the government has been supporting them in every way possible.
“We are there to help and support, but we cannot take full responsibility to give the salaries. We are trying to find a way. The matter is being examined,” he said, adding that salaries of many months have been cleared over the last three years.
Sangma pointed out that ADCs of the Garo Hills and Jaintia Hills, facing more financial challenges than the KHADC, have refrained from recruitment. “This is good because they are overstaffed. Many appointments were not done against sanctioned posts,” he said.
“Things are improving but the gap is too big,” he added.
The chief minister insisted that certain guidelines need to be followed for utilising funds under the 15th Finance Commission. “We have faced challenges because the government of India had to put certain conditions,” he said.
He said a large tranche of funds for development is pending with the Finance Commission as utilisation certificates have not been submitted by the district councils.