TURA/SHILLONG, July 20: BJP leader and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak has alleged that the ongoing crisis in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is the result of a deliberate political effort to weaken and eventually dismantle the institution, rather than administrative failure alone.
According to Marak, the current state of the GHADC aligns with an earlier political aspiration held by some veteran leaders to abolish district councils in Meghalaya.
He said that this idea appears to have taken root among certain ruling MDCs, who have conveyed to Council staff and even fellow members that the GHADC would soon cease to function and would be locked down.
“One of the veteran Garo politicians’ aspirations was to abolish the District Councils in Meghalaya, and the crisis in GHADC is the culmination of that political agenda, with which some ruling MDCs in Garo Hills seek to eliminate the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council,” the MDC alleged.
He pointed to the non-payment of salaries for 42 months as a serious concern, stating that this prolonged delay has not only caused hardship to thousands of employees and their families, including those linked to non-ruling MDCs, but has also contributed to shaping a public perception of the Council as dysfunctional.
Marak believes this perception, in turn, supports a larger political narrative that undermines the relevance of the institution.
He further stated that despite several discussions and repeated concerns raised on the floor of the House regarding misuse of funds, declining revenue and the transfer of income-generating departments to the state government, no concrete steps were taken by the Executive Members (EMs).
“The non-payment of salaries for 42 months is a deliberate attempt to portray the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council as a corrupt and inept institution, aptly camouflaging the political agenda within. The failure to pay salaries has severely impacted the lives of thousands, including families of non-ruling MDCs. No matter how many times issues were raised and concerns highlighted about the misuse of funds, loss of revenue, and the transfer of income-generating departments to the state, the Executive Members failed to address these issues despite multiple warnings,” the Tura MDC said.
Marak also said that substantial funds were received from the Centre in addition to the GHADC’s own revenues, but around 40 per cent of these funds remain unaccounted for. While refraining from drawing conclusions, he indicated that the possibility of misappropriation or misuse cannot be ruled out.
“I proposed several remedies during sessions, but they were disregarded in spite of giving assurances on the floor of the House. Apart from our own revenues and funds, crores were allocated by the central government in addition to the Council’s funds, but 40% of these funds have vanished, likely due to misappropriation or misuse. The failure of the ruling MDCs should serve as a wake-up call for the people of Garo Hills, as the Council is not only failing or dying but is being deliberately destroyed,” he said, while urging the general public to be wary.
