GUWAHATI, Jan 10 - The Chief Executive Member of the North Cachar Hills (Dima Hasao) Autonomous Council (NCHAC), Niranjan Hojai, today alleged that the Congress has resorted to horse-trading to destabilise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Autonomous Council in the hills district.
Reacting to the reports of the 10 NCHAC Executive Members (EMs) joining the Congress, which appeared in today�s newspapers, he said that this heinous exercise of the Congress is going to hit the common people of Dima Hasao hard by affecting the socio-economic development of the district.
Hojai said he had taken the oath of office on October 24, 2015, and the 14 EMs were administered the oath of office in November. The NCHAC has 28 elected and two nominated members, who are known as Members of the Autonomous Council (MACs). Of them, one is elected as the Chairman, another as the CEM and 14 as the EMs, he said.
He maintained that of the 10 NCHAC Councillors who joined the Congress yesterday, only five were EMs. They are Athong Lienthang, L Hlima Keivon, Fleming Rupsy Shylla, Suanthangjen Hrangkhol and Hailamkambe Kuame. The rest are MACs, Hojai said.
During the past about two months, the Autonomous Council has paid its 2,502 staff their salaries worth around Rs 9 crore. However, it has not been possible on its part to clear the arrear amounts of around Rs 35 crore to the staff against their seven months� salaries, which remained unpaid during the rule of previous Council led by Congress� Debojit Thaosen.
�We are making efforts to collect our dues, like land premium of around Rs 34 crore from the Assam Power Generation Corporation, bamboo royalty of Rs 19 crore from the Hindustan Paper Corporation�s Nagaon Paper Mill, net value premium of Rs 31.6 crore from the Dalmiya Cements, and around Rs 20 crore from the BG Construction.�
�We have held meetings with the Union Ministers concerned in New Delhi and with the companies and the Governor in Guwahati a few days back in this respect,� he said.
Moreover, the NCHAC is yet to receive the grants-in-aid amount of Rs 15 crore from the State Government for the 2015-16 fiscal.
�Under such a situation, the Congress has tried to destabilise the NCHAC for its narrow political gains and has indulged in corruption in the process. We will fight the Congress politically,� he said.
When pointed out that Congress was also accusing the BJP of horse-trading, when, in the month of October last, 18 of its EMs and MACs had joined the BJP in the hills district, Hojai said the Congress EMs and MACs deserted their party �spontaneously revolting against the despotic and corrupt� CEM Debojit Thaosen and some of his cohorts.
