Aizawl: Lai Autonomous District Council (ADC) deputy chief executive member Sanghuliana Mualchin on Monday accused the Zoram People’s Movement govt in Mizoram of undermining the autonomy of the state’s three ADCs.Addressing Mizo National Front workers at the party office in Lawngtlai, Mualchin said the councils had earlier received revised estimates (REs) for their annual budgets, but ZPM govt withheld them for three consecutive financial years.“The Mizoram govt under ZPM regime attached conditions for allocation of REs, including non-creation of posts and stoppage of recruitments of employees, which cannot be accepted by the ADCs,” he said.Mualchin said state govt’s demand that 60% of the councils’ budgets be allocated to salaries and 40% to development was impractical, noting that the state govt itself allocates 82.53% to salaries and wages.“The state govt has been trying to downsize the executive committees of the ADCs by axing the posts of executive members (EMs) as well as amalgamating departments, downgrading cadres of the employees under the ADCs and terminating a number of Group C and D employees,” he said.He accused the govt of attempting to undermine the councils’ autonomy in violation of the Sixth Schedule, which provides special safeguards for tribal areas. He also said the 1986 Memorandum of Settlement, or Mizo Peace Accord, provides for safeguarding the rights and autonomy of minorities.Mualchin said the ADCs had been demanding the return of elementary education, previously under the councils, and urging the Centre to provide a special development package for people living along the international borders.The chief executive members of Mizoram’s three ADCs are in Aizawl to meet Governor Gen VK Singh and CM Lalduhoma to apprise them of the councils’ problems.
