Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
Anti-influx groups have slammed the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government for its failure to set up the long-awaited entry-exit points to check unabated influx and illegal immigration into the state.
Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) chief Lambokstarwell Marngar told reporters that the 18 entry-exit points proposed to be set up by the state government in the first phase as part of implementing the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016 has ended only on paper because the ground reality is that none has been set up.
“So far, the government had set up only the Umling entry point (in Ri Bhoi) which is now an abandoned place. We absolutely have no idea on the status of the remaining 17 entry-exit points despite surveys being conducted for land acquisition,” he said.
Marngar said that this shows that the state government is not interested in detecting and flushing out the illegal immigrants entering the state. “Therefore, we fear that if such illegal immigrants are given easy access to the state, they will no doubt one day snatch away the economic as well as political rights of the indigenous people,” he said.
He also said that every time they conduct a follow-up on the matter, the government would come up with an excuse that the MRSS (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as well as the Inner Line Permit resolution passed by the state Assembly were pending with the Centre for its examination.
“In fact, we had suggested to the state government to first implement the MRSSA, 2016 before bringing any amendment to further make it effective but the government went ahead with amending the original Act without implementing it,” Marngar said.
The KSU and other groups have been demanding that the government fully implement the MRSSA, 2016 pending the Centre’s approval for implementation of ILP in Meghalaya.
Marngar said the KSU had recently met the deputy chief minister and in-charge Home Prestone Tynsong, who informed that the Centre had returned the MRSSAB, 2020 along with queries.
“Subsequent to this, we have seen the government trying to implement the MRSSA in 7 localities,” he added.
The KSU chief further alleged that the district task force (DTF) headed by the deputy commissioner and constituted as mandated by the 2016 Act is trying to sideline the dorbar shnong and said, “Therefore, we demand that the government include functionaries of the dorbar shnong in the DTF.”
“If the government is serious enough to address the issue while the Centre is examine the ILP resolution, it should ensure full implementation of the MRSSA by operationalising the entry-exit points proposed in the first phase to see how effective the Act is in detecting people from outside who are entering without any valid documents,” he said.
According to him, implementation of the MRSSA will to a great extent help in combating drug menace and other criminal activities in the state.
Sharing the same view, HNYF president Sadon K Blah said the state government is legally bound to implement the provisions of the MRSSA.
“There are around 51 entry-exit points in the state of Meghalaya but unfortunately not a single one has been installed which proves that the government is not at all serious about protecting the state from influx and illegal immigration,” he said.
“There are other provisions that the state government can take without initiating the steps to put forward installation of entry – exit points as the rules of MRSSA clearly state that there is a district task force headed by the DC and other officers and dorbar shnong, who has primary role to check illegal immigration into the state. Even the constitution of DTF is also pending especially in the most volatile areas of influx and immigration especially in urban areas, so I feel the government has sidelined everything concerning the entry-exit point and MRSSA,” he said.
Further, Blah said that the government should come clean on whether it has decided to abandon its promise to set up these entry-exit points.