Shillong, July 27, 2026: The Meghalaya Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has assured that the pending wages of its Muster Roll workers will be released shortly, attributing the delay to a budget allocation error that resulted in a funding shortfall of nearly ₹180 crore.

Despite the assurance, Muster Roll workers have reiterated that they will suspend work across the state from August 3, 2026, if the State Government fails to clear their salary arrears. The workers have not received their wages for four consecutive months—from April to July—despite continuing to perform their duties.

The prolonged delay has pushed many workers into financial hardship, forcing them to borrow money from local shopkeepers, relatives and friends to meet household expenses, with little certainty about when they will be able to repay their debts.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Muster Roll workers, under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), marched to the office of the Chief Engineer at Lower Lachumiere, Shillong, demanding the immediate release of their pending salaries. They warned that if the dues are not cleared by August 3, they will intensify their agitation and halt work across Meghalaya.

Responding to the workers’ concerns, PHE Chief Engineer Robert Singh Nongbri acknowledged their grievances and clarified that the delay was not due to negligence by the department but was caused by a typographical error during the preparation of the State Budget.

Nongbri explained that the department requires over ₹180 crore annually to pay the wages of Muster Roll employees. However, only ₹18.7 crore was allocated in the current financial year’s budget, creating a massive funding gap. He said the discrepancy appeared to have resulted from a typing error during the budget preparation process but declined to attribute responsibility to any individual or department.

The Chief Engineer said the PHE Department submitted a proposal to the Finance Department on June 6, seeking the additional funds needed to meet its salary obligations. Following discussions, the Finance Department approved the release of ₹90 crore, which is expected to cover nearly six months’ wages for the Muster Roll workforce.

According to Nongbri, the department currently employs 8,285 Muster Roll workers across Meghalaya, including 1,024 in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region and 2,253 in the Garo Hills, with the remaining workers serving in other divisions across the state.

He cautioned that any work stoppage by the Muster Roll employees would seriously affect essential public services, particularly the state’s water supply operations. Appealing to the workers to remain patient for a few more days, Nongbri expressed confidence that the sanctioned funds would be released soon, enabling the department to clear all pending salaries.

“I do not want such a situation to recur. Although similar delays have happened in previous years, we will continue pursuing the matter to ensure that salary payments are made on time in the future,” Nongbri said.

Meanwhile, the Muster Roll workers maintained that unless all pending wages are cleared by August 3, they will proceed with a more intensive phase of agitation and continue their protest until their dues are fully paid.