Tura, Sept 3: A mega protest rally in support of the demands of the employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council for release of their dues is slated to take place in Tura on Thursday with several social organizations, student bodies and civil society groups coming together to register strong protest over the delay.
A conglomerate of organizations, including the Garo Students Union and several social outfits, will be marching alongside hundreds of salary deprieved staff of the district council as they make their way through the main thoroughfares of Tura town, sometime after 10 AM.
Shops across Tura town are reportedly planning to down their shutters for four hours- 10 AM to 2 PM, when the rally takes place.
The rally is expected to take off from William Point, which is meters away from the head office of the GHADC, and will wind through Members’ Hostel, DC Office road, Tura Bazar, Hawakhana and back to William Point.
The Employees of GHADC have touched mark of 44 months in unpaid dues. Days earlier, the Executive Committee of the GHADC headed by CEM Albinush Marak had made attempts to make the striking enployees see reason. They were reportedly assured of 5 months salary release followed by regular monthly salaries from the first week of November to get them to return to work.
But the agitating employees aren’t playing ball. Peeved with their own EC for dragging its feet on the issue, they now want nothing short of the clearance of entire 44 months in pending salaries.
The state government under Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had made overtures to the affected employees and announced its keeness to step forward and help clear their salaries every month, beginning November first week, with one requisition- GHADC must take up financial reforms to ensure it doesn’t face another similar crisis.
But that overture from the chief minister hasn’t been well appreciated by social groups and other political parties who accuse the state government of infringing on the autonomy of the district council. This has now led to a stalemate.
