Meghalaya education minister urges GHADC staff to accept govt relief, blames politics for fuelling unrest

Meghalaya Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma expressed solidarity with the employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), who have gone without salaries for the past 44 months, while also cautioning that the issue has been turned into a political weapon by opposition parties.

“My heart goes to all employees of the GHADC who have suffered for so long without pay. Had I been in their place, I would also protest. How they survived all these months, God knows. The problem is genuine,” Rakkam Sangma said.

The GHADC, run by the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), has been grappling with a severe financial crunch. Recently, the state cabinet approved a proposal for the government to take over the burden of paying salaries to employees of all three Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Garo Hills, Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has already announced that five months of pending salaries will be cleared immediately, with the remaining dues to be settled in phases, the education minister said. From November onward, salaries will be released regularly, he assured.

However, he lamented that “politics has taken this issue for granted for vested interests,” pointing to opposition-led rallies and protests. “The government has taken corrective measures. My appeal to employees is to accept this,” he added.

On the parallel agitation by ad hoc teachers, Rakkam Sangma clarified that the state is not responsible for their salaries, as the appointments are made by School Managing Committees. “It is the responsibility of the committees to pay them,” he said, appealing to teachers not to misinterpret the government’s role.