Tura: In a serious accusation that could have wide-reaching implications, the BJP, through its vice president and spokesperson Bernard Marak, has alleged that the National People’s Party (NPP) has been diverting funds from the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to strengthen its party base across other states.
In a press communiqué, Marak, who is also a Tura MDC and was part of the historic tripartite settlement between the Centre, state, and ANVC groups, expressed a sense of betrayal over the current situation, warning that this pattern of misuse could completely destroy the GHADC.
“NPP siphoned off Council funds to build their party base in other states, leading to GHADC’s bankruptcy. They are using money meant for development to fund their political expansion. As BJP is in the opposition in the NPP-led Executive Committee of GHADC, it is our duty to protect the Council from being exploited and destroyed,” Marak stated.
He alleged that funds sanctioned for the development of the Garo Hills region, following the ANVC agreement, have been misappropriated to the extent that GHADC had to divert around ₹50 crore from central funds meant for development to cover salary expenses.
“This is a violation of NITI Aayog guidelines. The signing of the Agreed Text for Settlement (ATS) with the ANVC and ANVC-B groups in 2014 was meant to strengthen GHADC, but over the past decade, the NPP-led government has ignored the agreement, hijacked projects, and failed to meet with the ANVC groups. Most projects were either hijacked or left incomplete,” alleged the BJP spokesperson.
Marak further stated that GHADC received a special package of ₹100.71 crore in 2015-16 for the overall development of Garo Hills, with more funds continuing to flow into the Council for implementation by Rural Local Bodies (RLB) and Urban Local Bodies (ULB). However, the NPP-led Executive Committee allegedly misused these funds to expand the NPP into other states such as Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
Utilization Certificates (UCs) and completion reports for these funds have yet to be submitted to the Centre, Marak claimed.
He also alleged that of the ₹100.71 crore, major projects were reserved for close aides of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, with some projects remaining incomplete even after eight years. The Council Museum project, which was awarded to the party’s finance secretary, reportedly disappeared altogether. Marak added that there were project duplications and that 40% of centrally funded projects vanished from the Council treasury.
“The Council today faces a financial crisis due to NPP’s actions. Their intent is to destroy the GHADC,” Marak asserted.
The GHADC is currently grappling with a major crisis as employees have refused to attend work, demanding the release of over 35 months of pending salaries and the implementation of 5th Pay Commission benefits. The deadlock continues, with no resolution in sight between the employees and the Executive Committee.
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