Diphu :  Various social organizations are deeply concerned about the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council’s monetary position at this moment.The Hills Tribe League, Joint Coordination Committee for Protection of Autonomy and Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State expressed its apprehension over the council’s financial irregularity in a combined press meeting held at Diphu yesterday. 

The press meeting was addressed by The Hills Tribe League’s chairman Saising Rongpi, Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State chairman Khorsing Teron and Joint Coordination Committee for Protection of Autonomy, general secretary Rabindra Rongpi.

The organizations expressed their extreme disappointment particularly for the prolonged delay of the council authority in clearing the salaries of school teachers and employees serving under the transferred and non-transferred departments of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council.

The leaders of the organization informed the media that council authority owes twelve months pending salary to the teachers of venture schools; this huge fiscal deficit indicates that the autonomous council authority is in a huge pecuniary crisis. 

“Pending monthly salaries indicates that currently the financial health of the KAAC is not in a good condition. It also indicates gross financial mismanagement and indiscipline, misappropriation of funds and violation of rules framed under paragraph 7(2) of the Sixth Schedule”. This was stated in a press release jointly issued after the press meet.

The organizations’ leaders were quite skeptical over the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council leaders for expending public money without any check and balance. “The KAAC is going to face an acute financial crisis in the near future if the situation continues. But the authority of the council, as it appears, remains complacent and indifferent to the financial crisis”.

Instead of taking austerity measures, the KAAC has been squandering public money in events like “Karbi Anglong Day’ celebration in November last year where a whopping amount of public money had been squandered for entertainment; and recently, 28 Board Chairmen have been appointed.

The appointment of all the Board Chairmen, except the Land Settlement Advisory Board and the Karbi Language Development Board, are not necessary: it is nothing but a political adjustment to accommodate party functionaries,” The release mentioned. 

The leaders as words of caution mentioned that “to avoid an acute financial crisis in near future, the authority of the KAAC, therefore, should stop squandering public money, take austerity measures and exercise stringent financial discipline.”