From Our Correspondent
TURA, Feb 20: Unpaid employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), under the aegis of the Non-Gazetted Employees Association, have refuted Friday’s statement given by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on the issue of pending salaries maintaining that the last outgoing NPP led Executive Committee left them 26 months without monthly salaries.
Several hundred staff of the council have ceased work Since Thursday refusing to attend to their duties until a concrete assurance is made on clearing of their dues.
“The NGEA highly disagreed with the claim of the chief minister that the NPP led government had been able to clear more salary than what was before. In this regard the executive body of NGEA states that during the Executive Committee led by Congress there was a pending salary of only 6 months whereas when the EC was formed by NPP they have completely neglected to pay salary for 26 months,” stated the NGEA leadership in a statement to the media on Saturday.
Taking a further dig at the government, the NGEA pointed out to December’s announcement of paying two months salaries before Christmas which turned out to be a failure.
“Even till now the two months promised salary has not been given. It is a total lie to the public and they have cheated the employees. There is 55 crore rupees in royalty dues of GHADC still pending with the state government. Why is it not being released for salaries,” charged the NGEA.
It is worth mentioning that none of the staffers were able to receive the two months dues before Christmas and many employees in several of its departments are still to get the promised money. It was revealed that there was a goof up in the accounting leading to a shortfall of several crores meant for salaries.
While the employees blamed the government appointed administration of the council, the latter in return accused the NGEA
of putting up stumbling blocks by going on a strike before Christmas when employees needed to put up their salary bills for disbursement.
With both sides going on a verbal spate and a blame game this election is fast turning out to be a fight between allegations and clarifications, depending on who’s charging whom with what.
