Select committee on Residents Safety and Security Bill will be convened soon: Mukul

FROM A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, Aug 3: Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma today informed that the Select Committee on the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Bill, 2016 will soon be convened so that the bill can be taken back to the Assembly for its consideration. “The Select Committee will be sitting immediately after Independence day and will culmite into an ultimate exercise to eble us to take back the bills for consideration in the next (Assembly) session,” Dr Sangma told reporters after meeting pressure groups, who are demanding a comprehensive mechanism to check influx. The Chief Minister said that today’s meeting with the pressure group was to review about the progress and status of all these measures including measure to put entry/exit points. He said that during the discussion with the group the government was able to share information with the pressure groups on number of areas and that it was trying to keep the timeline. According to Dr Sangma, there are certain challenges like obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from Autonomous District Councils and that the government has given direction to follow up the issue to ensure acquiring NOCs is completed. Meanwhile, Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) president, Daniel Khyriem, urged the legislators in the Assembly to cooperate with the Government so that the bill can be passed in the coming session in the interest of the public of the state at large. “If there are any drawbacks in the bill we will again demand from the government to make improvements,” Khyriem said. According to him, the state government has already accepted the suggestion of the pressure groups in as far as exemption of local indigenous people from the purview of the residential bill is concerned.