TURA, Sept 17: Another spell of protests threatens to unfold in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council after its executive committee failed to pay thirty months of pending salaries after the deadline of September 15th crossed.

Hundreds of council employees under the banner of the Non-Gazetted Employees Association had given the Albinush Marak headed Executive committee of the NPP time till September 15 to clear their pending salaries.

The leaders of the association had met with the CEM and his Executive committee on the 29th of August to petition for their dues and also gave over two weeks’ deadline to mobilize funds to clear the dues.

That has reportedly not happened even as September marked the 31st month of pending salaries.

A meeting of the employees association is scheduled to take place on Monday in Tura where the leaders will spell out their next step of agenda with all indications towards a strike by the staff that will effectively shut down the functioning of the oldest political institution in the Garo Hills.

The shutdown, if called for by the employees, will stall all developmental works and revenue generation, particularly land holding tax payment from across the five districts of Garo Hills.

Besides the impact on land tax, supply of water across most parts of tura will also be impacted since the council continues to remain in charge of some of the most populated localities of town.

To make matters worse, reports have surfaced from within the district council that the executive committee intends to pay only two months dues as a first installment, while another two months installment is indicated for December.

The authorities of the district council are reported to have failed to mobilize sufficient funds to clear the backlog- something the employees have been demanding for a long time.

In the last meeting held between the CEM Albinush Marak and his Executive committee with the employees association leaders headed by Brithen M Sangma on August 29th, they were told of the untold misery being faced by the staff in procuring money to run their households and pay for their children’ education.

They narrated that in some schools parents have stopped sending their children to attend classes due to inability to clear the school fees.

Employees are also forced to borrow from money lenders at exorbitant interest rates just to put food on their table or seek medical treatment for their families.

Unless the GHADC EC is able to mobilize the necessary funds, the coming week appears to be bleak for the district council and its employees.

Also Read: ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Meghalaya: Charting development strategies for aspirational blocks

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