Pressure groups nudge government for discussion on draft bills

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Sept 7: The pressure groups demanding for the implementation of a comprehensive mechanism to check ubated influx into the state today prodded the state government to invite them to discuss the fil drafts of the bills before the autumn session of the Meghalaya Assembly.

It may be mentioned that during the last meeting on August 14, between the government and the pressure groups, it was decided that the Bemi Transaction and Prohibition Act, 1980 and the Residential Bill needed fining tuning before tabling in the Assembly.

“We want to remind the state government that during our last meeting it was decided that we will meet again before the bills are tabled in the house,” Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People, president, Joe Marweiñ said.

“We want the government to invite us so that the two bills can be deliberated. And before it gets the approval of the house the two bills are foolproof and protects the interest of the indigenous community as intended,” Marweiñ said.  

It may be noted that recently, the state government had set a day timeline for implementation of the Phase-I & II of setting up of the entry/exit points.

The pressure groups wants that the government must exempt the local indigenous community –Khasi, Jaintia and Garo from the purview of the Residential bill

During the last meeting between the groups and the state government the NGOs proposed insertion of ‘detection provision’ in the existing Bemi Act saying it is needed in view of the fact that there has not been a single case detected despite of the existing of the act for the past many years.