Shillong: The Voice of the People Party-led Executive Committee at the KHADC launched a biometric attendance system this September. Staff must now clock in and out on time. The mandate aims to fix long-standing attendance issues within the Council. Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh confirmed the change on Thursday. He noted that the new rules were part of a broader push to tighten internal discipline.
The administration has overhauled how it fills open roles. Officials ran departmental exams to vet candidates. They filled vacant magistrate and additional judge positions through formal advertisements. Vacancies within the engineering and accounts departments were also filled through internal testing. To build skills, the Council is sending employees to the Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute for specialized instruction. The leadership also revived the staff association to handle worker grievances.
Financial reforms have also taken hold. The Council raised monthly pay for casual employees from the previous range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 up to a flat Rs 10,000. Lyngdoh signaled a goal to eventually match state-mandated minimum wages if the budget allows. Despite inheriting significant debt from past administrations, the Council continues to function on its own revenue collections.
Lyngdoh urged workers to handle public requests without delays. He invited citizens struggling with building bye-laws to contact his office directly for fast resolutions. Reflecting on the Council's 75-year history, he remains optimistic about the current direction. "Things have started to improve," Lyngdoh said.
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