JHADC chief slams VPP for taking undue credit of EC’s initiative to release pending salaries to employees

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 30, 2024

Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) Thombor Shiwat on Monday slammed the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) for attempting to take “undue credit” of the NPP executive committee’s initiative to get funds for the release of the seven months pending salaries of the employees.

Speaking to reporters, Shiwat said the VPP is not even a political party but is a sort of an NGO or a pressure group. He was referring to the recent protest staged by the VPP against the delay to release the pending salaries of the council’s employees.

The CEM alleged that the VPP would stage a protest only after knowing that the state government would soon release funds to the JHADC.

“It seems that the VPP has engaged some people to collect information on the matter because every everytime the state government is about to release the funds to the JHADC, the VPP people would come to stage a protest to show that it was their initiative that the funds has been released,” he said.

“The state government is already in the process of releasing the funds after we had written a DO letter. So this is not Prah’s initiative, it is purely the initiative taken by our EC to ensure immediate release of the pending salaries of the employees,” Shiwat said.

According to him, the council would require Rs 6 crore to clear the 7 months pending salaries of the employees.

Asked, the JHADC chief said, “We expect to get Rs 16 to Rs 17 crore this time (from royalty shares on both major and minor minerals) and the same is being processed by the government.”

Terming the VPP’s protest meaningless, Shiwat said, “This is because if they (VPP) come or not everyday, salary will be released if money is there and if we don’t have money, there is nothing that we can do about it.”

“It doesn’t mean that just because of the VPP’s protest that this matter is being taken up. If they don’t protest also, it is our duty to approach the government and request for the immediate release of the shares,” he added.

The CEM further stated that the VPP’s protest is an attempt to politicize the issue ahead of the upcoming MDC elections.

“They are taking advantage of the delay to release the pending salaries otherwise they have no issues in Jaintia Hills. The protest is because the MDC elections are nearing and they just want to show to the people that they love the jaidbynriew in the name of demanding release of pending salaries,” he said.

Shiwat also challenged the VPP to go to the state government and demand release of outstanding dues of the JHADC.    

“If they love the jaidbynriew, they should not only go to the council, they should pressurize the state government. If our shares of Rs 50-60 crore is pending, they should pressure the government to release it but they know only how to get information when the government will release money for salary, so that they can stage these kinds of dramas and they are really good at it,” he said.