From Our Correspondent
TURA, Aug 24: With the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) facing its worst crisis since inception, church elders, Nokmas, residents, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mukul Sangma and Opposition MDCs of the GHADC held a prayer service on Sunday afternoon, seeking good governance, transparency and effective functioning of the Council for the people of the Garo Hills.
The prayer service was organised by the Tura-based Church Leaders’ Forum.
The crisis in the GHADC stems from the non-payment of salaries to its employees for the past 43 months. This has triggered a protest led by the Non-Gazetted Employees Association (NGEA), which has now crossed 50 days, leaving the functioning of the Council at a complete standstill.
Speaking after the service, Rev Frithing D Sangma told media persons, “This programme was organised to hold a special prayer for the ongoing crisis in the GHADC. We all know that the employees of the GHADC have not been paid their salaries for 43 months due to which they are facing extreme difficulties. As the current EC as well as the District Council Affairs under the state cannot bring a solution to the crisis, we decided to hold a mass prayer knowing that God alone can solve all problems.”
Rev Frithing clarified that the programme was not meant for any particular political party but for all believers who came together to offer their prayers.
“We believe that the mass prayer will result in a long-term solution, bring normal functioning to the GHADC, enable monthly disbursement of employees’ salaries, and uphold the rights of Nokmas among others,” he added.
“We want good governance both at the state and the district level and hope and pray that MDCs and MLAs from both the ruling and the opposition will come together to achieve this cause. If a good system is worked out where resources are collected and brought into the same account both at the state level and the District Council, then the revenue generated will be more than enough to meet all necessities,” he observed.
He further stressed that the need of the hour was good management.
“GHADC is an institution that can keep the Sixth Schedule intact, so both the ruling and the opposition must cooperate and work together for one goal,” the Church elder said.