TURA, June 27: BJP leader and Tura MDC Bernard Marak on Thursday alleged that the guidelines of the Fifteenth Finance Commission was violated by the Tura Municipal Board as its officials failed to attend a crucial meeting of the Fifteenth Finance Commission Coordination Committee convened by the GHADC CEM on the same day.
According to Bernard the meeting was held to work out details of plans/projects, proposals and procedures on the implementation of the Fifteenth Finance. The Tura MDC dashed off a complaint to Deputy Chief Minister and district Council Affairs Minister Prestone Tynsong, on the same day.
“The municipal board CEO did not attend the meeting scheduled for June 27 at the CEM’s chamber which can be termed as a humiliation to the office of the CEM and the authority of the GHADC. Municipalities seem to be forgetting that they are functioning in the Sixth Schedule area. The Finance Commission guidelines and decision taken by the coordination committee was also violated and dishonoured by the Municipalities,” Bernard said, in the complaint.
According to him, the decisions taken in a meeting held on February 2, this year and on May 8 on instalments of the Fifteen Finance Commission was grossly violated by the Municipalities as they submitted the proposals and implemented some funds without the knowledge of the GHADC.
“The Co-ordination Committee decided certain conditions on the implementation of the funds and subsequently a letter was forwarded by the Director of the urban affairs but when inquired in GHADC, no one was aware of the funds already utilised by the Municipalities. The RTI revealed projects already implemented without the knowledge of GHADC and when the facts was provided to GHADC, the CEM of GHADC invited the CEOs of all Municipalities who were implementing the funds under Fifteen Finance Commission for the Urban Local Bodies to attend a meeting. None of them turned up. This was a humiliation to the chair of the CEM,” he said.
The Tura MDC requested Tynsong to look into the matter immediately and to cancel all proposals forwarded by the Municipality boards without consulting the MDCs of the urban areas and GHADC and also to stop all payments for now till the matter is sorted out.
