From Our Correspondent
TURA, Aug 21: Controversy within the GHADC is nothing new, but since the launch of the 46-day protest by the NGEA over their 43 months of pending salaries, the blame game between political parties over responsibility for the current crisis has escalated sharply.
Employee count dispute
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma claimed that the Congress-led EC had appointed around 2,300 employees, many through questionable means. Supporting this, Deputy Chief Minister Nikman Marak said the number had since been reduced to 1,300, which he still considered high.
The NPP-led EC further claimed no fresh recruitment had taken place during their tenure.
The Congress, however, countered these claims by citing figures from a public audit, stating the numbers never exceeded 1,638. Records show the GHADC had 917 employees in 2010, which rose steadily to 1,594 in 2016 under Congress. After the NPP assumed office in 2016, the number peaked at 1,652 before declining. Congress argued this proves the NPP’s figure of 2,300 employees was exaggerated.
Salary dues
Employees are currently owed salaries for 43 months, amounting to over Rs 270 crore. The NPP-led EC claimed only 8-9 months of dues were pending during their tenure. However, employees rejected this, stating that only 20 months’ salaries had been disbursed in the past four years.
Where did the money go?
The CM asserted that Rs 120 crore in royalty shares was released to GHADC in the past three years, while RTI records suggest the figure is over Rs 139 crore. Employees say the GHADC also earns Rs 18-20 crore annually from its own sources, putting the total at about Rs 200 crore over three years. With only 12 months of salaries (around Rs 70 crore) cleared, over Rs 130 crore remains unaccounted for.
CEM Albinush Marak recently announced a new system where 60% of GHADC’s income would be reserved for salaries. CSOs, however, dismissed this as a delayed response aimed at weakening the protest. FKJGP president Pritam Arengh asked, “What were they doing earlier? Where is the written order to prove this?”
Intensified protest
The protest, which began with a demand for 12 months’ pay, has now hardened into a demand for clearance of all 43 months’ dues. Support from Opposition MDCs and CSOs has strengthened the agitation, with CSOs also demanding reforms, financial accountability and service rules. The NPP-led EC recently offered to clear only four months’ dues, a proposal rejected by the NGEA. Encouraged by GSU president Tengsak Momin, protesters have now shifted into the GHADC premises as a mark of defiance, further escalating tensions.
Uncertain future
With coffers nearly empty, GHADC’s future appears bleak unless urgent reforms and financial interventions are made. ADE president Dalseng B. Ch Momin warned, “Without the GHADC and the protection we receive through the 6th Schedule, Garo Hills will simply be overrun by outsiders. The collapse of the GHADC will have devastating consequences on the entire state and region.”