Shillong, Sep 12: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today responded to the cut motion raised by Ampati MLA Miani D Shira over the delay in salaries of Home Guard volunteers, assuring the house that corrective measures have been initiated to ensure timely payments.
Raising the motion, Shira highlighted the recurring problem of non-payment of wages. “Every time we hear the same grievance – that home guards are not receiving their salaries regularly. I seek clarification from the minister as to which period the supplementary demand for wages covers – whether only a few months, the current financial year, or also pending dues from previous years,” she said. Shira also questioned the opaque system of requisitioning volunteers by different departments, pointing out the absence of transparency in deployment to branches like traffic or fire services.
VPP MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit strongly supported the motion, calling the government’s inaction “inhumane.” He said, “Most volunteers earn just Rs 600 a day, and yet they have to pay rent, buy food, and support families. On top of that, they lose wages if they take a holiday, even in cases of sickness. They are treated unfairly because they have no other employment opportunities. The government must intervene and ensure that their service is valued and wages are paid regularly.”
Leader of Opposition Dr Mukul Sangma cited constitutional provisions to argue that the current system violated the principles of equality and equal opportunity in employment. He alleged arbitrary practices in recruitment, pointing to cases where home guards deployed for traffic duties were abruptly removed and replaced. “This suggests mala fide intent to displace one group and replace them with others. Such practices must be investigated,” he said.
Dr Sangma further stressed the need for professional training, especially for those handling traffic and fire emergencies. “Deploying untrained personnel in critical areas like firefighting is dangerous. In the face of increasing climate-related disasters, we must equip our fire services with skilled manpower and modern equipment. Otherwise, we risk being helpless spectators during crises,” he cautioned.
Joining the debate, TMC MLA Rupa Marak underscored that home guards play a crucial role in filling manpower shortages in both police and emergency services but are often left without proper training. She revealed that some volunteers in Garo Hills had reported not receiving salaries for four months. “This is a very serious matter and must be addressed without delay,” Marak said.
The Chief Minister admitted that the matter was “sensitive” since even his constituency has a large number of such volunteers who frequently approach him with grievances. He explained that the core issue lay in the absence of a dedicated budget head for the volunteers’ honorarium.
“Since there was no budgeted amount, every quarter we had to earmark additional funds, either by taking advances from CF (Consolidated Fund) or SD or through re-appropriation. This complicated the process,” he said.
The CM informed that in a recent meeting chaired by the Deputy CM and the minister in charge, it was decided that the Police Department will directly manage the payment process. “With this step, the salaries will now be released on time. A special SD has been created to ensure regular payments and the arrangement will remain in place until March 2026,” he added.
Clarifying the status of the volunteers, Sangma stressed that they should not be equated with regular employees. “This is not a post. These are volunteers who offer their services and, based on requirements, departments like traffic, fire service or revenue make use of them,” he explained.
He further pointed out that while basic training is provided, it cannot be compared to the professional training of police or fire personnel. “Since the numbers are growing, we may need to examine ways to streamline the process, perhaps giving preference based on seniority. But the core concept remains voluntary service,” the CM said.
