CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Members of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) representing the All India Trinamool Congress have shot off a strongly worded letter to the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, demanding he immediately communicate to the Governor of Meghalaya “the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for intervention on exigent matters” within the council.
“We had urged immediate and concrete measures for resolving the long-pending and pressing matters concerning our Garo Hills Autonomous District Council,” the MDCs reminded, accusing the authorities of “continued silence and inaction” that was “only aggravating discontent among the people of the Garo Hills which does not augur well for a vibrant democracy.”
Citing “the sudden sine die adjournment of the last session by the Deputy Chairman without allowing a chance to deliberate on critical public issues,” the MDCs said such action “undermines democratic functioning” and reiterated their call for “reconvening of a special session to discuss and deliberate on issues of utmost importance affecting the functioning of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.”
They also highlighted the “immense financial and humanitarian distress” caused by unpaid salaries of GHADC employees for “approximately 43 months,” and urged the Governor to “call on the State government to initiate remedial measures to clear pending salaries of the employees.”
On the 2014 Tripartite Agreement with ANVC, ANVC-B, the State and the Centre, they accused the State Government of “failure to uphold commitments” and demanded “adherence to the Agreed Text in letter and spirit” with “expedition of commitments, particularly constitution of State Finance Commission and devolution of funds.”
Slamming the “prolonged delay” in passing the Garo Customary Law Bill, they urged that “the already passed bill which is stalled in the District Council Affairs department is passed and assented within the stipulated timeframe.”
“The onus of responsibility of catering to the overall needs and functioning of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council lies solely upon the State Government under the statutory mandate of the Constitution,” the MDCs asserted, warning that “if no urgent steps are taken to address the imperative issues, we may be compelled to resort to democratic and constitutional forms of agitation, to protect the interest of our people and uphold the sanctity of our Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.”
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