Striking employees threaten year-long closure unless dues are cleared
Tura, Aug 11: Having been left unpaid for 43 long months, agitated employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) have warned that the current protest could push the oldest administrative institution of Garo Hills into a year long closure unless authorities pay them their long pending standing dues.
Hundreds of council employees have gone on a strike- that has already touched 34 days, and the protestors are peeved with the council authorities for remaining “cold” to their demands, accusing the current Executive Committee headed by CEM Albinush Marak of remaining mum to their grievances.
With over 500 unpaid staff protesting every day, since July 7th outside the premises of the council in Hawakahana, Tura, there is a wave of sympathy being generated from different fronts of society. On Monday, a Garo pressure group-A’chik State People’s Front (ASPF) extended solidarity with the employees by joining the protest and pledging their support to meet their demands.
Encouraged by the support for their demands, Brithen M. Sangma, president of the protesting Non-Gazetted Employees Association (NGEA) extended his appreciation to civil society groups for standing by them in their hour of crisis.
The NGEA president also lashed out at the GHADC officials for being silent to their situation, singling out Albinush Marak, Chief Executive Member (CEM), Nikman Marak. Deputy CEM, and the Executive Committee (EC). Slogans were raised against the CEM, Deputy CEM and the Finance Executive Member Linekar K Sangma.
“It has been one month and four days, yet no one from the administration has come to ask about our grievances. We are only demanding our rightful dues… 43 months of unpaid salaries. If this continues, we are ready to keep the GHADC office shut for over a year,” he warned.
Peeved with the cold shoulder by the council EC, the protestors have now upped their demand. After initially seeking the release of a minimum of one year pending salaries, the council employees are now demanding that authorities release the full 43 months of dues for the strike to be lifted.
Highlighting alleged financial mismanagement in the council, senior lady employee Timtim N. Sangma told the gathering during Monday’s protest that GHADC had received ₹142 crore in own funds and ₹134 crore in royalty shares between 2021 and 2024 — a total of ₹276 crore during the current EC’s tenure. She also clarified that the current employee strength is 1,376, down from 1,600 in 2020, countering claims of inflated payroll numbers.
She further alleged irregularities in the Tourism Department, where some muster roll employees were receiving 5th Pay Commission benefits without sanction. She said her findings were ignored despite informing the CEM.
Recalling a 2023 meeting with the chief minister, she said that the CM claimed over ₹120 crore had already been paid to GHADC, estimating that ₹6 crore was needed monthly for salaries. “I told him that under the 4th Pay Commission, only ₹4 crore is required. The CM did his own calculations and said our salaries were already cleared,” she recounted.
“This is not political, it’s about our right to be paid. Responsibility lies with the Council leadership, regardless of party. It is a shameful situation,” she added.
The NGEA president Brithen Sangma also slammed the GHADC EC for issuing a show-cause notice to Timtim Sangma after she brought to public light the financial details of the council. He warned that failure to withdraw the notice could spark another wave of protests.
With no end in sight to the ongoing turmoil, and the council authorities failing to reach out to the protestors, the NGEA has vowed to continue its agitation indefinitely until the pending salaries are released.
