SHILLONG, July 4: Facing an imminent crisis over payment of salaries to its employees, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has approached the Centre to find out ways and means to increase its revenue while also seeking an allocation of Rs 25 crore from the revenue deficit budget of the Centre.
KHADC chairman, Pyniaid Sing Syiem on Sunday said he had met Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur in New Delhi on Friday to discuss the financial crisis.
“Our annual budget for payment of salaries of the staff is around Rs 50 crore. This is a huge amount considering that the council’s revenue generation is very limited,” Syiem said.
He said the council’s major share of revenue comes from royalty on major and minor minerals but it has come down drastically since the National Green Tribunal imposed a ban on rat-hole coal mining in the state in 2014.
“We will face great difficulties in paying the salaries of the staff since the council does not have much funds at its disposal. We are only surviving on the revenue generated from taxes on Motor Transport Vehicle and a certain share received from the state government on major and minor minerals,” Syiem said.
He said the council manages to generate revenue of only Rs 9 crore annually from professional taxes, taxes on forest produce and others.
He lauded the Finance Ministry for releasing Rs 45 crore to the council on the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission. “This fund is now with the state government. The state government had recently released some funds to all Autonomous District Councils. We have asked the Central Minister if he could release the funds, earmarked for 2021-22,” Syiem said.
He said the council put up a proposal to the Centre seeking Rs 6 crore to set up a permanent Khasi Traditional Heritage Village.
He also said that the council would need to explore the tourism sector to increase its revenue generation by closely working with the Hima and other traditional bodies.
