By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 19: State BJP leader and Cabinet Minister, AL Hek on Tuesday said that the government is duty-bound to clear the pending salaries of its employees.
“The employees are working for many months but their salaries are not paid. Why? It is the duty of the state government to clear their dues be it municipal or the Autonomous District Councils,” Hek stated while pointing to the plight of the employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), who have not received their salaries for more than 43 months.
The GHADC has been reeling under financial stress for years, with employees frequently resorting to protests over non-payment of wages. The council, one of the three Autonomous District Councils in Meghalaya, has been plagued by allegations of mismanagement and poor revenue generation, often leading to repeated intervention demands by employees. The situation has left hundreds of families struggling for survival, forcing political leaders to take note of the humanitarian crisis.
On the government’s argument that the ADCs should be able to generate their own revenue to sustain themselves, Hek said he was not aware of whether the State was extending support to the councils or if they were managing entirely on their own resources.
He however maintained that given the prevailing circumstances and the distress faced by employees, the state government must step in and bail the councils out of the crisis.
Asked if he felt the government was falling short in its efforts to resolve the issue, Hek said, “I cannot say whether efforts are being made or not to resolve the issue but it must be.”
The statement comes at a time when pressure is mounting on the government to address the long-pending salary dues of GHADC employees. Despite repeated agitations and memorandums over the years, concrete solutions remain elusive, leaving the matter a festering challenge for the state.