Tura, May 25: Eleven Congress MDCs from the opposition side met with GHADC CEM Benedic R Marak in his office chamber on Tuesday to submit a memorandum and also to ask him to find an early solution to the problem of the employees who have not been paid for 34 long months as well as demand a probe into the misappropriation of funds.

They mentioned in their memorandum how the previous executive committee had given approval and passed a resolution to release the salaries as per the revised scale and said the new EC ought to follow the decision taken.

“We urged you to negotiate with the Chief Minister and take the decision to clear the pending salaries of the employees as early as possible,” they also demanded.

The opposition members complained that an attempt was being made to divert the tied grants of the 15th Finance Commission, an amount of Rs 91 crore meant for the GHADC to the Jal Jeevan Mission.

“The GHADC has its own implementing department for water supply and sanitation and the same has been functioning in the preceding years.

As per the Finance Commission guidelines, rural local bodies should be the implementing agencies of these funds and we disapprove of the move to divert the same. We urged you to take up the matter with the Chief Minister to release the funds meant for the GHADC,” they stated.

They also highlighted a public advertisement of the MBDA in February inviting proposals from eligible entries for Design, Development and Maintenance of Information and Communication Technology services for the Taxation Department which is funded by JICA.

“Why are such projects being outsourced to outside agencies? We want to know whether any agreement was made in black and white before allowing foreign agencies outside the purview and jurisdiction of the GHADC”.they asked and added that such attempts clearly intrude into the autonomy of the GHADC.