Shillong, June 3: Tura MDC Bernard N. Marak has accused the Meghalaya Government of failing to uphold key commitments made under the 2014 Tripartite Agreement signed with the former militant outfit, the Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC).
In a statement, Marak alleged that the State Government has breached the provisions of the agreement by failing to ensure timely salary payments to employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) and by not releasing rehabilitation packages promised to former ANVC-B cadres.
According to Marak, Paragraph 3.1 of the agreement clearly mandates the State Government to guarantee uninterrupted payment of salaries to council employees. However, he claimed that this commitment has not been honoured, resulting in repeated delays in salary disbursement and causing hardship to both council staff and former cadres.
He further stated that the non-payment of rehabilitation packages has created dissatisfaction and divisions among former ANVC-B members. Marak alleged that despite clearance from the Central Government, the State Government has failed to utilise the escrow account mechanism and clear pending rehabilitation payments, describing the situation as an administrative failure.
The MDC also expressed concern over what he termed the Government’s neglect of promises to strengthen the Autonomous District Councils under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule. He said that more than a decade after the signing of the agreement, several commitments aimed at empowering the ADCs remain unfulfilled.
Marak urged the State Government to take immediate corrective measures, honour its obligations under the Tripartite Agreement, and ensure that pending salary and rehabilitation issues are resolved without further delay.
