Shillong: In a strong condemnation of the Meghalaya government, Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma has threatened to launch an agitation over the prolonged non-payment of salaries to employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
Sangma accused the CM Conrad Sangma-led government of a deliberate attempt to weaken the ADCs.
Speaking to reporters in Shillong, Sangma highlighted that GHADC employees have not been paid for 42 months, or three and a half years.
He said that the GHADC employees have been holding peaceful protests since July 7 without any response from the state or council authorities.
“This is a very distressing situation, almost a crippling one for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council,” he stated.
He warned that if the government continues to ignore the employees’ plight, opposition members would be compelled to join the protests. He questioned if the government needed the people of Garo Hills to take to the streets before they would respond.
Sangma stated, “Do they need the whole people of Garo Hills to come to the street? Do they need the MLAs to also join the dharna and the agitation?”
He described the government’s inaction as an “inexplicable irresponsibility” and a reflection of “complete insensitivity.”
According to Dr. Sangma, the salary crisis is not just a local issue but a sign of the government’s disregard for its constitutional duty to empower the ADCs under the Sixth Schedule. He suggested that the government may have a “predetermined malafide intention” to render the councils obsolete.
The former Chief Minister also recalled the 2014 Tripartite Text Settlement Agreement, signed between the Centre, the Meghalaya government, and the now-disbanded ANVC, which saw the government agree to strengthen the ADCs as an alternative to a separate statehood demand.
He noted that Rs100.71 crore in special assistance was released to GHADC in 2015–16 under his government, marking the first-ever direct central aid to ADCs.
He added, “Where is that level of priority now? The Meghalaya State Finance Commission Act, 2012, which clearly lays out the framework for financial devolution to local bodies, including ADCs, has been reduced to a forgotten piece of legislation.”
Sangma argued that weakening the ADCs means weakening the state’s traditional institutions and, ultimately, disempowering the people.
“Crippling ADCs amounts to an attempt to weaken the Sixth Schedule. And weakening the Sixth Schedule is an attempt to disempower our people,” he said.
The former Chief Minister stated that the ADCs are the functional grassroots governance units and must be protected at all costs.
He urged the public to set aside political differences and recognize the institutional autonomy at stake, stating, “This cannot and must not be taken lightly.”
