By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 21: RTI activist Manbhalang Phankon has raised questions over alleged discrepancies in the number of employees of Mawmluh Cherra Cements Limited (MCCL) and alleged misuse of public funds in the appointment of chairmen and vice chairmen to the defunct public-sector unit.
Phankon said he had sought details through RTI queries regarding the employees of MCCL.
According to the reply received, there are 256 employees, comprising 21 officers and 235 staff members.
He, however, pointed out that the State Commerce and Industries Minister had informed the Assembly during the Budget Session, as also reported in the media, that the number of employees was 278. “This indicates a clear discrepancy in the figures provided, and whether it was a miscalculation on the part of the Minister or otherwise, we cannot say,” Phankon stated.
On salary payments, the RTI reply informed him that since the factory is no longer operational, salaries are being paid only partly, and only when the state government provides funds.
Dissatisfied, Phankon said he personally met officials of the MCCL office in Shillong and questioned why appointments of chairman, vice chairman and others continued when the factory remained shut and workers unpaid. According to him, the officials replied that such appointments were made directly by the state government.
“What is astonishing is how the government is able to find funds to pay for the positions of Chairman, Co-Chairman, Vice Chairman and others – as many as five such posts as per RTI – while the factory itself is non-functional,” Phankon said.
“Where does the government, under the leadership of the NPP, find money to pay these individuals for salaries, allowances, and other benefits, while at the same time claiming it cannot afford to pay workers’ salaries except through occasional government grants? This clearly appears to be nothing more than political appeasement and wastage of public money,” he added.
Phankon recalled that in 2020, the state government had announced that MCCL would cease operations permanently, and in 2024, it officially declared the closure of the factory while sanctioning Rs 98 crore towards pending salaries and other liabilities. “Yet, as reported in the media, even until this year, the workers of MCCL have not received their dues, despite this budgetary sanction,” he said.
He also expressed disappointment at the silence of legislators representing Shella and Sohra constituencies, where MCCL is located, noting that concerns have instead been raised by legislators from other constituencies and opposition parties.
Phankon further questioned the state government’s decision to sanction over Rs 300 crore in financial aid at a concessional interest rate of two per cent to Varun Beverages Ltd (Pepsi) in Mendipathar, while failing to revive MCCL. “The question is: why does the government sanction hundreds of crores of rupees to private multinational companies while failing to sanction even a fraction of that amount to revive MCCL, a public-sector unit of our state?” he asked.
Maintaining that such policies raise doubts of vested interests and possible personal gains of ministers, he said, “Such policies bring no long-term benefit to Meghalaya, but instead burden our State with mounting debt.”
Stating that the appointment of chairmen and vice chairmen to a defunct factory was “nothing but a misuse of taxpayers’ money”, Phankon said his role as an RTI activist was only to place facts before the people. “In a democracy like India, it is ultimately the people who have the right to judge the actions of the Government and hold it accountable,” he said.