Bernard alleges anomalies in GHADC funding records, urges CM for inquiry

TURA, Aug 3: BJP leader and Tura MDC Bernard Marak on Sunday alleged serious anomalies in the funding records of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), in a written complaint dispatched to Chief minister Conrad Sangma and demanded an immediate inquiry into the issue.
“In a publicly available interview, the Executive Member in charge of Finance from GHADC admitted that Central Developmental Funds were partly diverted to pay salaries and meet other expenses of the District Council. This statement, made at the 6:21 minute mark in a video uploaded on YouTube, constitutes prima facie evidence of financial misappropriation and a violation of the guidelines laid down by the 15th Finance Commission,” the BJP leader stated, in his complaint.
According to Bernard, other executive members, in a separate interview at the 8:51 minute mark, denied the receipt of Rs 161 crore as shown in an RTI reply, which raises a grave question of the NPP led State Government or the NPP led Executive Committee in GHADC misrepresenting facts.
“The denial, recorded at both the 12 – seconds and 8:21 – minutes marks, casts doubt on the authenticity of the RTI response and the actual disbursement of funds. Additionally, the absence of Motor Vehicle tax records for the two years in the RTI further underscores the need for a thorough financial audit,” he added.
Demanding that the matter be referred to an independent inquiry committee, Bernard felt that the committee examine the claims made by the Executive Members, verify the RTI disclosures, and audit the relevant departments to determine the extent of fund misuse.