Previous NPP-led EC never complained of financial crisis: Affected employees
Shillong, June 3: In a drastic move aimed at transparency and fiscal prudence, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has terminated the services of 13 employees and revoked regularisation of services of 30 casual employees.
The 43 persons were provided regular employment allegedly without having any sanctioned posts.
The decision was taken based on a report submitted by a committee constituted by the KHADC’s executive committee (EC) led by Voice of The People Party for administrative streamlining of the Council’s functioning.
KHADC chief executive member (CEM) Shemborlang Rynjah on Tuesday said the committee, which sat for five times, had examined the services of the district council and in the process the appointment of 43 staff came up. Of these, 13 were newly appointed and 30 were regularised after appointed as casual workers.
“After examining properly, we found that their appointment was made without any sanctioned posts,” Rynjah said.
Based on the report submitted by the committee, the CEM said, the EC has decided to discontinue the services of the 13 newly appointed staff and revoke regularisation of the other 30 employees, but allowed them to continue as casual workers.
The 13 newly appointed staff joined the Council in July and December last year as enforcement constables, peons, mali, cleaners etc.
The CEM cited KHADC’s poor financial health that also prompted the Council to manage the salary of 70 contractual employees with five per cent administrative charge from various schemes.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the aggrieved employees urged Rynjah to reconsider the decision to revoke their regularisation with effect from June 1.
Asserting that the KHADC’s decision is final, the CEM said, “Now, it depends on them whether they want to continue or discontinue as casual workers.”
“We will also continue to take action against those appointments made without any sanctioned post,” he declared.
Further, Rynjah said the committee for administrative streamlining in the Council will also examine the need to amend the service rules.
“We have also decided to constitute a recruitment committee (to ensure transparency in job recruitment in the Council,” he added.
Earlier, the services of most of the affected employees, working in the different departments including enforcement, were regularised by the previous EC led by the National People’s Party (NPP) in 2023-24 after they had served as casual employees for over six-seven years.
“Nowhere you will see that staff, who were already regularised, would be asked to continue as casual again,” the aggrieved employees told reporters after meeting the CEM.
“Moreover before taking the decision, they should have called us first. If the Council is facing financial constraints we will understand. Whether it is old or new EC, policy should align with the interest of the Council and staff,” they said.
Referring to the NPP-led EC, they said, “During the tenure of the old EC, we never had any issues especially relating to fund for release of salary but now this EC is complaining so much about financial crisis.”
The aggrieved employees further demanded, “We want the CEM to immediate revoke his decision. If he wants to come up and implement his new policy, let it be done prospectively but not retrospectively.”
“Everyone knows that almost all employees here are appointed not based on interviews or examinations. So if the new EC wants to terminate, it should terminate everybody, it cannot just pick and choose,” they stated.
Asked, the aggrieved employees said they will decide on whether to approach the court for its intervention on the matter.
An enforcement constable Khrawbor Mawlong informed that the CEM could not give a satisfactory clarification but only told them that the EC cannot revoke its decision.
