Tura, Oct 26, 2026: The reported use of public funds to hire helicopters for the Chief Minister’s tours ahead of the upcoming council elections raises serious questions about the priorities of the Meghalaya Government. At a time when teachers, casual workers and employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) are awaiting their rightful dues, spending public money on helicopter tours that may serve as indirect election campaigning is deeply concerning.

How can the Government justify such expenditure when thousands of families are struggling to survive because their salaries, pensions and other dues remain unpaid, asked Tura MDC Bernard N.Marak.

Teachers are awaiting their salaries, casual workers continue to face financial uncertainty, and elderly citizens and widows are still waiting for their pension benefits. Meanwhile, GHADC employees continue to suffer from an accumulated backlog of approximately, 30 months of unpaid salaries. These are not merely administrative failures, they are issues that directly affect the livelihoods, dignity and welfare of ordinary citizens Marak said.

The Government must remember that public funds belong to the people. They are meant to improve public services, support employees, protect vulnerable families and fulfil the Government’s commitments, not to finance expenditure that raises questions about political motives, particularly ahead of an election.

If the Chief Minister’s helicopter tours are being funded by the public exchequer, the Government must explain the purpose, cost and necessity of such expenditure. It must also ensure that official tours are not used to provide an indirect electoral advantage to the ruling party at public expense.

The priorities of a responsible government should be clear: pay the teachers, clear the dues of casual workers, release pending pensions to elderly citizens and widows, and address the 30-month salary backlog of GHADC employees before incurring questionable public expenditure.

The Government cannot continue to speak about development and good governance while those who serve public institutions and those who depend on welfare schemes are left waiting for payments they are entitled to receive.

Ahead of the council elections, the people deserve transparency, accountability and responsible use of taxpayers money. Public resources must not be allowed to blur the line between official government responsibilities and political campaigning.

” I therefore urge the Meghalaya Government to immediately review its expenditure on helicopter tours, disclose the public funds spent on such travel, and prioritise the clearance of all pending salaries, pensions and other legitimate dues” Marak added..

The people need relief, not political spectacle. They need their salaries and pensions, not expensive helicopter tours. Public money must work for the people, and the Government must be held accountable for every rupee it spends.