Correspondent
Shillong: Amid growing concerns over unchecked influx in Meghalaya, the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) has issued a stern warning to the state government, asserting that the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, is no substitute for the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and falls short in tackling illegal immigration.
"MRSSA cannot and will not in any way replace ILP," stated CoMSO Chairman and Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) president Roy Kupar Synrem.
"The current Act merely monitors tenancy and house rentals, not cross-border or interstate movement. If one reads the entire Act, there is not a single provision that addresses influx or regulates the movement of people," he said.
Synrem pointed out that the MRSSA, in its present form, lacks any mechanism to detect or regulate entry into the state and, ironically, is also applicable to local Khasi residents relocating within Meghalaya. He reiterated that what CoMSO demands is ILP, as it would empower the indigenous people to control the movement of outsiders.
The CoMSO Chairman urged the government to instead push for the MRSSA Amendment Act of 2020, which includes ILP-like provisions, and slammed the state's inaction on the issue of infiltration. "Assam is going hammer and tongs against Bangladeshis, and see -the easier and the safest place. The safest state for these Bangladeshis is the state of Meghalaya because there are no laws regulating the movement."
CoMSO is preparing to submit concrete suggestions and demands to strengthen existing check gates and has initiated public mobilisation campaigns to raise awareness about the urgent need for ILP. "The issue of illegal immigration is not one that will be tackled in a day," Synrem noted.
Warning of escalated action, he concluded, "If the government continues to ignore the demand for ILP, CoMSO will intensify its agitation and take strict action in the coming days."
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