From Our Correspondent
TURA, Aug 24: Tura MDC Bernard Marak has sought emergency action against what he alleged was misutilisation of funds meant for the development of the Garo Hills region through the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
In a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Sunday, the MDC cited the violation of Para 7.6 of the Garo Accord signed between the Centre, the State and the ANVC groups.
“The Rs 100.71 crore special package sanctioned by the Centre post-Accord in 2015-16 has allegedly been diverted without proper auditing or accountability. Projects have been duplicated, including the Tribal Research Centre built over the Council Museum at Chidekgre — a move that raises serious questions about land encroachment and procedural violations by two bureaucrats who were Administrators of GHADC and manipulated the centrally sanctioned projects,” alleged Bernard.
He stated that the Accord was not just a document but a commitment to the tribal population of Meghalaya, especially Garo Hills, and its violation by the GHADC EC and MDCs from the ruling party was an insult to the constitutional mandate and a betrayal of public trust.
Calling for an emergency meeting involving the signatories, the state government, the GHADC and an independent auditing body, Bernard urged a review of all centrally funded projects under GHADC, investigation into the contractors involved in misappropriation and submission of audit and action-taken reports to the Governor and the legislature.
“We will not allow the promises of the Accord to be buried under political convenience and financial malpractice,” he asserted.