TURA: The NPP-led Garo Hills Progressive Alliance, which is heading the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), has passed a resolution in its executive committee meeting to clear the salaries of its employees before the end of this month.
The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the GHADC executive committee on Thursday as the ongoing employees’ strike entered its fourth day. The employees have been without pay for the last nine months.
The district administration on Thursday deployed police on the Council premises and the main gate, which the protesters had locked since Monday forbidding MDCs and officers to enter, was opened in the presence of a magistrate.
GHADC chief executive member Denang T Sangma and other executive members resumed work on Thursday.
Assuring that the decision to clear the dues by this month was a unanimous one, Sangma said, “We have been trying to get the message across to the agitating employees that we need to attend office and complete the process of clearing necessary paper works to ensure that we obtain the funds to clear their dues.”
“We have already approached the Centre and the State for a bailout package to ensure the staff get their salary that’s long overdue. Also, the State government will table a supplementary budget on the floor of the Assembly during the autumn session and once it is passed, funds will be released for the Council,” said the CEM.
However, the decision of the EC could not pacify the agitators who continued to demand ‘evidence’ of funds being released for salary clearance. “We are sorry to inform that our strike will continue until there is proof of the money being released for our dues,” said one of the agitating employees during a discussion with GHADC deputy CEM Augustine R Marak.
The Deputy CEM, along with council chairman Boston Marak, held a meeting with the protesters outside the premises and tried to talk out of the deadlock but it yielded no result.
On the same day, a group of students and social organisations led by the Garo Students’ Union, which extended support to the striking employees, also called on the CEM and his executive members.
“In our discussion with the leaders of these organisations, we pointed out the financial situation of the council and the reasons for this and also appealed to them to approach the State government to release the dues from our share of royalty. We also requested them to talk to the agitating staff,” said CEM Sangma and added that the discussions were cordial.
The GHADC requires Rs 3.94 crore each month to pay salaries.
The CEM and his ruling alliance have been highly critical of the opposition Congress alliance for demanding the imposition of administration rule in the GHADC over the current situation. “The Congress MDCs, including Independent Tura MDC Rupert Sangma, is blaming us for the current situation but they seem to forget that the financial problem began from the previous Congress EC which withdrew in advance Rs 24 crore that belonged to the GHADC royalty share. The Tura MDC is giving baseless allegations,” the CEM had said on Wednesday.
