Tura, Sept 9: The Youth Congress in Meghalaya has demanded that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma step forward and resolve the ongoing crisis in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, where hundreds of employees have been agitating for the past three weeks demanding the release of their pending salaries that are due for 34 long months.
Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress vice president Timjim K Momin issued a statement blaming the ruling MDA government in the state led by the NPP for the current situation in the district council.
“Prior to the GHADC election, the chief minister made a major statement saying the state and central governments are required for effective functioning of the district council. The NPP now controls the state and council for years, but the recent statement of the chief minister that GHADC is an autonomous body and the state isn’t accountable for the current crisis demonstrate their inability to manage its crisis and a deceit of the Garo Hills community for electoral purposes only,” accused the Youth Congress leader.
The Congress also pointed out that the people of Garo Hills had mandated the NPP government to effectively run the GHADC, “But shortcomings of the MDA government and the NPP led Executive Committee failed to turn it around,” said Momin.
The Youth Congress stated that despite seventeen departments under the council, particularly revenue generating departments such as Forests, Land and Revenue, and Civil Works, widespread corruption and extravagant spending has brought down the GHADC and drained its finances.
“Corruption has severely harmed the system and the Council’s overstaffing was a direct outcome of corruption which increased tensions. Additionally, the GHADC infrastructure was crumbling, there was no financial rule and service rules,” stated the Congress youth leader and demanded that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma accept responsibility and intervene to end the crisis.
