Dima Hasao should not be a slave to
Assam Government when the agreement between N.C. Hills Autonomous Council
and Assam Government is reached in releasing the fund for payment of
pending salaries of “Normal Employees” of N.C. Hills Autonomous Council.
It is
certain that when such fund is provided to the Council, Assam Government will
make the leaders of the Council accept the terms and conditions of some
recommendations/norms such as that of Subash Das Commission Report, in which
several clauses are quite detrimental to the interests of N.C. Hills Autonomous
Council. In this regard, It is not the provisions enshrined in the Sixth
Schedule to the Constitution of India that they are faulty or defective
which let the functioning of the Council result in bringing about financial
indiscipline in the Council and so, norms/rules be framed so as to bring about
financial discipline in the functioning of the Council.
It is, in fact, because
of the misrule of some of the successive Council leaders indulged in the misuse
of powers and functions of the Council since its inception that it has resulted
in such a financial mismanagement in the Council of Dima Hasao district. So, it
is the duty of the Government to initiate action as per law against the guilty
found involved in financial irregularities, corruption, nepotism and other
malpractices in the Council rather than to frame such norms/recommendations
which are against the interests of N.C. Hills Autonomous Council. Superficially
some of the clauses in Subash Das Commission seems appropriate/right, but
practically there is a lot of loopholes in the recommendations of the said Report
which can facilitate the State Government to systematically curtail the powers
and functions of the Council. One such example of descriptions/norms in
Subash Das Commission Report which is against the interests of the Council is
that the Council, which could previously appoint vacant posts of 3rd and
4th grades available under the entrusted department, now
cannot do so without the prior approval of (SIU) Finance Department of Assam
Government. Hence, the norms of this Commission Report should be revoked in the
greater interest of N.C. Hills Autonomous Council and it is high time the State
Government took measures to immediately release an adequate amount of fund for
payment of salaries of Normal Employees of the Council, without any terms and
conditions being imposed on the Council. But it seems there is still the
Government’s apathy towards the serious problem of fund for Normal employees
salary, which needs to be urgently solved, in Dima Hasao district.
Besides, there cannot be a permanent solution to the perennial problems of
‘Normal employees’ salaries and the financial plight of “Normal
employees” salary in Dima Hasao will be worsening, until and unless the problem
of fund shortage for regular payment of salaries, based on revised pay
scale and other allowances, of Normal employees of the Council is permanently
solved at the Central Government Level through its arrangement to annually
provide sufficient amount of fund especially for Normal Employees’ salary such
as under Article-275(1) of Indian Constitution to N.C. Hills Autonomous
Council.
Suraj Naiding,
Former Executive Member of N.C.Hills
Autonomous Council, Haflong
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